A Minneapolis man forced a woman into his vehicle at gunpoint as she walked home late at night, drove her to a secluded alley and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors say.
Octavio Torres Candia, 24, faces two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one for using a dangerous weapon and one for using force, according to a complaint filed last week in Hennepin County District Court.
According to the complaint, the victim told police she was walking near E. 31st Street and 10th Avenue South in Minneapolis at about 11:10 p.m. on August 1 when a man stopped his vehicle and asked if she was okay. She tried to ignore him, but he got out of his vehicle holding what appeared to be a revolver-style handgun and pointed it at her.
The man, later identified as Torres Candia, forced the victim into his vehicle and drove her to the rear of an address near 24th and Chicago Avenue.
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The complaint states Torres Candia moved to the back seat, grabbed the victim by the hair and head and attempted to force her to perform a sexual act. When she resisted, he punched her in the face, put both hands around her neck until she could not breathe and sexually assaulted her. The victim struggled and tried to escape until someone came to her aid and called police.
A witness told officers she returned home that night and noticed a suspicious vehicle parked in a dark corner of a nearby lot. She and the victim approached and heard a woman calling for help. The witness saw a man inside the vehicle punching and attacking the woman, and heard the woman cry out “he’s raping me.” The witness reported seeing the man push the woman out of the vehicle before speeding away.
The victim’s phone was left behind in the suspect’s vehicle. She was able to track it to a location in Richfield, where Richfield police stopped Torres Candia in his vehicle. Officers found the victim’s missing shoe and cell phone inside, along with an open condom wrapper. A search of the vehicle turned up a black 4.5 mm BB gun resembling a real handgun.
During questioning, Torres Candia admitted, “I did this,” and claimed he believed the victim was a “prostitute.” He admitted having a replica handgun in the vehicle but denied pointing it at the victim. The victim was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center for a sexual assault examination and provided a detailed, consistent account of the assault to a forensic nurse examiner.
About This Charge
Minnesota’s criminal sexual conduct statutes are organized by degree under § 609.342 (first), § 609.343 (second), § 609.344 (third) and § 609.345 (fourth). First-degree convictions carry up to 30 years in prison; the lower degrees carry penalties up to 25, 15 and 10 years respectively. Cases involving minors trigger additional mandatory-minimum provisions and predatory-offender registration under § 243.166.
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Jurisdictional Context
Hennepin County is Minnesota’s most populous jurisdiction. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office handles felony prosecutions across Minneapolis and 45 surrounding cities; the Fourth Judicial District presides over felony arraignments and trials at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis.
