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.
RELATED:
11-year-old girl gang raped in Moreno Valley park, police say; 6 arrested, 1 sought
Crime alerts for Cypress Park, Montecito Heights and 11 other L.A. neighborhoods
-- Abby Sewell
Photo: Michael Sykes. Credit: Riverside County Sheriff's Dept. / Associated Press
EDITOR'S PICKS:
There have been horrible stories of gang-rapes in the last couple of years in the Bay Area, recently in Texas, and now in Southern California.
I hate to even ask what the common thread in these crimes is...
Posted by: PJF | March 28, 2011 at 03:39 PM
Prison is going to be very hard on this child-rapist. When the inmates find out he helped gang-rape an 11-yr old girl, they're gonna make his existence a miserable one.
He's young too, and not very big. So yeah, he'll be getting his.
Posted by: AuthenticAngeleno | March 28, 2011 at 03:41 PM
It's clearly an error to consider all people human.
Posted by: Nova yos Galen | March 28, 2011 at 03:57 PM
Yeah Chris Klee that's just hysterical isn't it? Nothing funnier than an 11 year baby getting gang raped. Do people just use LOL for everything, even if it's completely inappropriate? Apparently.
Posted by: Pam | March 28, 2011 at 04:11 PM
Hmmm... Gang rape of an 11-year old child?
If convicted, the death penalty seem extremely appropriate. There is NO excuse whatsoever for animals like these to roam around in our society. And yes, they are beyond rehabilitation and do not deserve to breath the same air as the rest of us.
Next...
Posted by: George Soros | March 28, 2011 at 05:02 PM
When Sykes is 50 looking back on his life behind bars and doors, keys and chains, was it worth it? People, don't go along with the 'crowd'. Stay outta trouble, ain't worth it. Sad day for this young man. And, yes, he IS a man. Living is over, existing only... Find something you love - music, movies, writing, photography, anything - and do THAT.
Posted by: eltalon | March 28, 2011 at 05:25 PM
Glad they caught him.
Posted by: Anna | March 28, 2011 at 05:26 PM
Well I know what I's do to them if I were the girl's dad. Castrate them.
Posted by: Charles Brandon | March 28, 2011 at 05:32 PM
These boys who did this are animals, pure and simple. They have no sense of decency and should be locked up for the rest of their lives.
Posted by: Arthur | March 28, 2011 at 05:43 PM
He's on facebook. It's chilling to read his wall comments on Mar 10th. This pathetic animal has no conscience.
http://www.facebook.com/MikexFknxNasty?sk=wall
Posted by: Miltie | March 28, 2011 at 06:17 PM
Wow let's crack on the cop for his name and totally look over the fact that this is about a child who was raped! Way to go! I hope they charge the creeps as adults and send them away...
Posted by: danielle | March 28, 2011 at 06:34 PM
And we're all worried about Libya? What about the USA?
Posted by: US Times | March 29, 2011 at 12:45 AM
said Cpl. Courtney Donowho, a Riverside County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman.
Hey Chris Klee- read the above sentence. The officer in question is obviously not a guy.
Posted by: California Girl | March 29, 2011 at 05:52 AM
As my mother used to say, "They need to put him UNDER the jail". What a horrible crime, and to think a girl would lure another girl, an 11-year old one at that, to this fate is beyond disgusting. I don't know what kind of animals breed monsters like this but hopefully they will be imprisoned so long that they will not be able to pass on their unfortunate genetics to others. My sincerest sympathy to the 11-year old child and her family.
Posted by: Marley | March 29, 2011 at 11:03 AM
Such a pathetic looking animal! Such a relief that he got caught along with the other animals that did this terrible act! I did check out his facebook as sugguested by another author on this post. The guy can't even write, no grammer. Uneducated = trouble and that's who this animal is. I hate to judge people without knowing their story, but this punk knew what he was doing so an eye for an eye I say!
Posted by: kv | March 29, 2011 at 03:19 PM
How is it that these teens thought that it was OK to rape and 11-year-old girl?
How is it that another girl thought that it was OK to lure the girl to the place she was raped?
How do the parents of these kids feel about how they raised their children?
I agree with another poster. Why are fighting these wars in distant lands? We seriously need to replace these troops with police and eliminate (eradicate) these gangs. We might as well start with the existing gangs in our own communities because if you look across our borders, you get a glimpse of what it may look like some day in our communities: thousands killed each year, mass beheadings, etc.
We need to treat the gang situation like a terrorism threat. These people weaken our nation and threaten our safety and liberty.
Posted by: Mike M | April 07, 2011 at 10:12 AM