Woonsocket man facing charges of sexual assault
WOONSOCKET — The police arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman while she was asleep early Sunday, but not before her boyfriend found out about it and left the alleged attacker with a black eye.
Loi T. Ngo, 27, of 126 Brook St., is facing charges of second-degree sexual assault after attacking a 31-year-old woman during a family gathering about 2:20 a.m. Police said Ngo also faces charges of assaulting the woman’s 27year-old boyfriend.
Police found the two men fighting in the street outside Ngo’s apartment before they knew of the alleged sexual assault. Ngo was bleeding from laceration above his head and the victim’s boyfriend had minor injuries that didn’t require medical attention.
When police asked him how he was injured, Ngo allegedly told them he fell down, but the woman’s boyfriend suddenly yelled out that they were fighting because Ngo had tried to rape his girlfriend.
After following a trail of blood droplets, police said they found the victim crying in the bathroom of an upstairs apartment adjacent to 126 Brook St. The woman later told officers she and her boyfriend had fallen asleep when she felt someone pulling her pants and underwear down to her knees. She said she thought she was dreaming until she felt someone’s hand rubbing her private parts.
She woke and saw Ngo – an in-law’s brother – shining a light towards her, according to police reports. He told her he couldn’t sleep and quickly left the room.
The alleged victim told police she didn’t immediately try to wake up her boyfriend, who was asleep nearby, to tell him about the alleged assault. She said it wasn’t until Ngo allegedly returned a second a time, shining a light in her face, that she did so.
A t tha t point, the two men began arguing and her boyfriend chased after Ngo as he ran outside. She said the two men began fighting outside and other family members – including herself – got involved to try to break it up.
During the scuffle, the woman cut her foot, police said. She was treated at the scene by rescue personnel from the Woonsocket Fire Department.
Ngo had already been whisked off to Landmark Medical Center to be treated for his injuries before first responders heard the woman’s allegations about the sexual assault. Police placed him in custody at the hospital.
The boyfriend of the alleged victim is not facing any criminal charges because police concluded he was acting in self-defense when he injured Ngo during the fight outside 126 Brook St.
The boyfriend, who was not identified, told police Ngo – also known as “Joey” – rushed him from behind, knocked him to the pavement and began throwing punches at him. The boyfriend told police he returned the punches to protect himself.