ELMHURST — A man was arrested Thursday for punching, robbing and trying to rape a 23-year-old woman last month and may have also been involved in two knifepoint robberies, police said.
Jorge Chabla, 31, is suspected of approaching the victim from behind before 3 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16, as she walked on Gleane Street, near Elmhurst Avenue, according to police.
He punched her in the back of her head, knocking her to the ground, police said. A police source said the attack began as a knifepoint robbery.
Chabla, who lives in Elmhurst, groped his victim before fleeing, according to the NYPD.
He was charged with attempted rape, assault, robbery and sex abuse, according to police.
A source said Chabla, who records show was arrested earlier in August for jumping a turnstile in Manhattan, was also involved in two recent knifepoint robberies in Elmhurst and investigators discovered he was in the possession of stolen property.
Information about his lawyer was not immediately available.
