Rape reported near MARTA bus stop

Man had ‘X’ tattoo near eye, woman tells Atlanta police.

Investigators hope a distinctive tattoo will help them find the man accused of sexually assaulting and robbing a woman near a northwest Atlanta MARTA bus stop.

The woman told police she was walking to the bus stop on Chattahoochee Avenue and Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard about 6 a.m. last Saturday when she was approached by a man who asked for directions, Channel 2 Action News reported. Then he pulled out a gun and pushed the woman into a nearby ditch, where he sexually assaulted her, she told police.

The man, according to a police report, stole the woman’s cellphone and backpack, which contained credit cards and $10. The woman ran to a nearby gas station to call 911, police said. She was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital but had no visible injuries, according to police.

A composite sketch of the suspect has not yet been completed. But Atlanta police told Channel 2 one of his physical features may help identify him.

“He has a very distinctive tattoo,” Lt. Celeste Murphy said. “The tattoo is a multiple series of the letter ‘X.’”

The tattoo is located around the man’s eye, Murphy said. The attack is a reminder for others to be aware of their surroundings, she said.

“Don’t speak to strangers, try not to walk alone,” Murphy said. “Just be mindful of your surroundings and if you can partner up, all the better.”

The incident is at least the second sexual assault reported near a MARTA stop in six weeks. On June 14, a woman said she got off a train at the Indian Creek station and was walking away when a man pulled her into a wooded area and raped her, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. A suspect was arrested in connection with the attack after police released the man’s photo.

Anyone with information about the suspect in the latest incident is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers at 404577-8477.