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Bite Mark from Teen Victim Leads to Arrest of Serial Sex Attacker, DA Says

By Nicholas Rizzi | September 22, 2017 1:36pm | Updated on September 25, 2017 7:58am
 Taylor Hawkins, 27, was arrested after he tried to rape three women and attacked two others on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017.
Taylor Hawkins, 27, was arrested after he tried to rape three women and attacked two others on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017.
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NYPD

STATEN ISLAND — A 14-year-old girl bit a serial sex assault suspect who attacked four women within an hour — with the wound tipping off investigators that they had their man, authorities said.

Taylor Hawkins, 27, of New Brighton, tried to rape three random women and attacked two others ranging in age from 14 to 64 in Topmkinsville, Clifton, Randall Manor and West Brighton early Tuesday morning, authorities said.

In the last incident, Hawkins got out of his black SUV and attacked the 14-year-old girl, who was waiting at the bus stop by Castleton Avenue and Havenwood Road at about 6:30 a.m., prosecutors said.

Hawkins dragged the girl to the ground, punched her in the face and then choked her, according to a criminal complaint. He then groped and tried to rape her, before she managed to bite him, causing him to run away, police said.

When police arrested Hawkins that night, officers knew they had the right person because he had a bandage where she bit him, the New York Daily News reported.

Hawkins first struck at about 2:35 a.m., when he tried to steal a woman's purse at Young and Targee streets before punching and slapping her in the face, prosecutors said.

He started his hourlong assault spree at about 5:30 a.m., when he grabbed a 50-year-old woman around her neck in front of 103 St. Paul's Ave., dragged her to the ground, choked her and groped, according to the complaint.

The woman screamed and Hawkins fled on foot, police said.

Hawkins then slapped a 64-year-old woman in the face while she was getting off an MTA bus at Henderson and Kissel avenues at about 6:20 a.m. before fleeing, authorities said.

Eight minutes later, he approached a 42-year-old woman waiting for a bus at Castleton Avenue and Hunter Place, threw her to the ground, groped her and said, "I'm going to rape you" while on top of her, prosecutors said.

A passerby yelled out to Hawkins, and he punched the victim in the face before fleeing, authorities said.

All four victims, who did not know Hawkins, were taken to Richmond University Medical Center, police said.

Police eventually arrested him Tuesday night inside the SUV they believed he used to flee the scenes of most attacks, the NYPD said.

He was arraigned late Wednesday afternoon and charged with criminal sexual act, sexual abuse, attempted criminal sexual act, attempted rape, strangulation, assault and attempted robbery, the Staten Island District Attorney's office said. His bail was set at $500,000.

Contact information for his lawyer was not immediately available.