Bike Patrol Officers Speak out After Seeing Woman Being Raped, Arresting Suspect
Rob Wells, ABC 6, Columbus OH, Wednesday, September 10 2014, 11:27 PM EDT
COLUMBUS (Rob Wells) -- They've been part of the Columbus Police Bike Patrol for two decades, now, police say their sharp skills helped save a 21-year-old woman as she was being raped.
Officer Christoper Billman says while on a routine patrol around 2AM, he shined a flashlight into the garage near the OSU campus, where he spotted the attack.
Officer Phillip Walls and Officer Thomas DeWitt arrested 36-year-old Randy Graham Jr., who they say lured the woman to the carport to avoid rainy weather as she waited on her COTA bus.
Investigators say Graham is a homeless man that they've seen in the area for years. Now he's behind bars charged with kidnapping and rape.
Patrol members say it's one of the most violent attacks they've handled. The patrol says the woman was rushed to a Columbus hospital for treatment.
The three officers returned to the streets on their bikes Wednesday night, for the first time since the arrest.
The bike patrol says they're able to see and hear things they wouldn't otherwise be able to spot if they were behind the wheel of a police cruiser. Twelve Columbus officers make up the bike patrol division which canvasses streets in and around the OSU Campus.