WEST VILLAGE — A man accused of violently assaulting a woman in the West Village last month was arrested after residents heard his victim screaming during the 15-minute assault, which was captured on surveillance video, prosecutors said during a court appearance Wednesday.
The bail for Ivan Ramos, 22, who was arraigned in Manhattan Supreme Court after being indicted on rape charges, was increased from $300,00 to $500,000 after prosecutors argued that surveillance tapes showed the severity and duration of the attack.
According to prosecutors, Ramos approached a woman who looked "visibly upset" about 6 a.m. on April 17, prosecutors said.
The woman then allegedly told Ramos, who claimed he was a "neighborhood watchman," that she had lost her cell phone and needed help.
Ramos then convinced the woman to give him her bank card so he could help her withdraw money to pay for a cab, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said in a statement. The victim could not remember her PIN, according to prosecutors, and asked Ramos to take her to the police.
"[The] victim asked the defendant to take her to the [police] precinct," prosecutors said during Wednesday's hearing. "He takes her to a stairwell and brutally rapes her."
Residents who were near the stairwell heard her screams and called police, according to prosecutors, who added that the incident was caught on video.
Ramos was then seen coming out of the stairwell pulling up his pants.
After arresting and searching Ramos, police found the victim's ATM card.
His lawyer described Ramos as a "hardworking, family man."
"We are going to wait for the results of any DNA testing, which I'm sure will vindicate him," said defense lawyer Mel Reiss, who added he believed this was a case of mistaken identity.
Ramos is charged with rape, criminal sexual assault, assault and criminal possession of stolen property.
