Jose Carrasquillo, Vigilante Justice for Accused Child Rapist

by Tina Kells | June 5, 2009 at 11:39 am

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Jose Carrasquillo is only the accused of rapist of an 11-year old girl, but the accusation alone was all it took to inspire some vigilante justice in the little girl's Philadelphia neighborhood.

Police are stating with great confidence that Jose Carrasquillo is the man who brutally and violently raped the 11-year old child while she walked home from school. They are sure that the vigilantes who captured Carrasquillo got the right guy for the right crime.

This strong belief in Carrasquillo's guilt may explain why Philadelphia police are reacting with mild disapproval of the vigilante justice that saw a crowd of men beat him while "detaining him" for police.

Jose Carrasquillo Vigilante Justice Video

Police said the man first made contect with the girl as she walked down Kensington Avenue shortly before 8:30 a.m. near the intersection with Orleans Street, in the 24th police district.

They said he approached the girl, threatened to shoot her (though he did not show her a gun) and made her walk with him for about seven blocks to an alley on the 2000 block of East Westmoreland Street. Police said he attacked her there.

After the assault, he left, and the girl made her way out to the street, where she was found by a passerby who called police.

On Monday, June 1, 2009 the little girl was walking home from school when Jose Carrasquillo accosted her and threatened to shoot her if she did not do as he said. He took her to an alley where he assaulted and raped her. The violence of the crime was shocking and the little girl needed surgery for her many injuries.

On Tuesday, June 2, police issued a photo of a man identified as a "person of interest" in the rape case. That photo was of ex-con Jose Carrasquillo, a man who had been out of prison for less than a month after serving a 6 year sentence. Shortly after the photo of Carrasquillo was released two teens saw him on the street. They called him out and Carrasquillo ran.

The calls of the two observant teens caught the attention of others nearby and a crowd quickly circled Jose Carrasquillo. That crowd then levied some vigilante justice and beat the accused child rapist until police arrived. The entire incident was caught on video and after reviewing the tape police elected not to lay charges against the men in the crowd and gave the two teens the award money in a public presentation.

The young rape victim is recovering from her physical injuries and has been released from hospital. Her emotional wounds will take much longer to heal. Jose Carrasquillo was also released from hospital and is now being held in jail on other outstanding charges. Carrasquillo is also being investigated for a second brutal rape within days of the assault in the 11-year old.

Although he has not been charged in the rape, police have said that they believe he was responsible and that they have evidence linking him to the crime scene, including sunglasses they said he left behind.

Also yesterday, Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said his department would not pursue charges against those who beat Carrasquillo and held him for police.

Video surveillance shows Carrasquillo trying to run from people who saw him, Ramsey said, and the crowd acted to prevent him from getting away.

"We have people who saw an individual who committed a very brutal crime, and they grabbed him and held him for the police," he said. "You have to think about the emotion involved in this."