Philadelphia police have apprehended Michael Henry, a 30-year-old resident of Philadelphia, wanted for two gunpoint sexual assaults in Southwest Philadelphia. Henry’s arrest, facilitated by tips provided to the Philadelphia Police Department, follows the first incident that occurred on October 14 around 3 a.m. on the 1600 block of South 55th Street.
In the initial attack, a woman stopped at a traffic light was approached by Henry, who brandished a small black handgun and demanded money. After receiving $20, the suspect ordered her to unlock the car doors and forced her to drive to 49th and St. Bernard streets, where she was sexually assaulted. Following the assault, the victim was taken to an ATM and forced to withdraw money. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office has approved charges of rape, aggravated assault, and related offenses in connection with this incident.
Henry is also suspected of a second attack on the 1100 block of S. Paxon Street on October 15 around 5 p.m. In this case, another woman was accosted by an unknown man, who, at gunpoint, demanded money before sexually assaulting her after receiving $25. Henry is further implicated in several other rape cases and a robbery.