Final suspect arrested in gang rape of 11-year-old [Updated]
Moreno Valley police arrested the final suspect Monday in the gang rape of an 11-year-old girl.
Michael Sykes, 19, was arrested about noon at a home in Moreno Valley, said Cpl. Courtney Donowho, a Riverside County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman.
Six male juveniles had previously been arrested and booked in Riverside County Juvenile Hall on charges of sexual assault on a child.
The suspects allegedly raped the girl March 10 in the bathroom of Victoriano Park.
According to a police statement, the suspects are believed to be associated with a local gang, but Donowho could not say whether the rape was gang-related.
[Updated, 5:27 p.m.: As of late afternoon Monday, Sykes had not been booked into jail. A teenage girl who allegedly helped lure the victim to the scene of the rape has also been arrested. Donowho said police now believe the rape was gang-related.]
To report information about the case, contact Det. Duke Viveros of the Moreno Valley Police Department at (951) 247-8700.
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Photo: Michael Sykes. Credit: Riverside County Sheriff's Dept. / Associated Press