Vigilante Justice': Furious Detroit Residents Severely Beat Man Accused of Raping 15-Year-Old Girl With Down Syndrome

Residents in a Detroit neighborhood on Monday hospitalized an alleged rapist after they decided the police weren’t getting the job done.

Community members say the alleged rapist sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl who has been diagnosed with Down Syndrome.

The girl claims the man kidnapped her in early July while she was on her way to work and took her back to his apartment and raped her.

Police have so far done nothing about the alleged sexual assault. In fact, that’s why certain community members decided to beat the alleged rapist with a baseball bat. They apparently believe vigilante justice is all they have left.

The alleged rapist, who community members claim suffers from mental health issues, lives in the same neighborhood as the victim. Residents posted fliers around the neighborhood to warn others about him.

Megan Herres, a family friend of the victim, claims the 15-year-old girl had to wait a full seven hours at the hospital before Detroit police administered a rape kit.

The victim reportedly waited five days before police interviewed her about the assault and it took another 21 days before the police sent the rape kit to the Michigan State Police Crime Lab.

“That’s just not acceptable,” Herres told WXYZ.com.  “DPD, we want to see an effort toward sexual assaults of minors,” she continued “It’s not good to live in a community where people don’t feel safe."

Other members of the community were outraged. So outraged, in fact, that a few of them went after the suspect with a baseball bat and put him in the hospital.

Herres doesn’t believe vigilante justice is the correct response, but she understands the frustration.

“There was a lot of community response in asking the police for their assistance in apprehending the perpetrator and it wasn’t happening in a timely manner,” she said.

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office told WXYZ.com that they have asked Detroit Police for more evidence and are waiting to “determine if charges will be brought.”

The Detroit Police, for their part, say the prosecutor’s office is waiting on DNA.

The MSP crime lab says it has the rape kit and it’s expediting it.

When asked why the investigation is taking so long, Detroit Police told the local news team that they are “looking into this."

As of this writing, the condition of the accused rapist is unknown. Meanwhile, the community has rallied behind the victim and Herres claims she is “doing the best she can.”

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Featured image screen grab.

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