Clifton Ray Williams arrested in alleged Taser attack & kidnapping on South Broadway | The Latest Word | Denver | Denver Westword | The Leading Independent News Source in Denver, Colorado
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Clifton Ray Williams arrested in alleged Taser attack & kidnapping on South Broadway

Late last month, Denver Police circulated a composite sketch of a man who may have used a stun gun in a South Broadway attack on a woman. The cops have now arrested Clifton Ray Williams for the crime, and there's no denying he bears an amazing resemblance to the illustration...
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Late last month, Denver Police circulated a composite sketch of a man who may have used a stun gun in a South Broadway attack on a woman. The cops have now arrested Clifton Ray Williams for the crime, and there's no denying he bears an amazing resemblance to the illustration. Check it out.

The attack took place early July 24 on the 2300 block of South Broadway. A woman was walking alone when she felt what she described as a sharp sting, possibly from a Taser. She was then grabbed by a man who tried to drag her into an alley, but she was able to fight him off and call for help. The man, who fled, was described as a white or Hispanic male in his twenties, around five-feet-ten-inches in height, with a black goatee. Subsequent surveillance video also showed that he had a large tattoo on his left forearm.

The DPD later received a Crimestoppers tip that pointed them in the direction of Williams, who was nabbed yesterday morning in Castle Rock.

Here's the composite sketch of the suspect released last week:

And here's Williams' mug shot: Williams is being investigated for kidnapping and aggravated assault in the South Broadway incident, but not in a somewhat similar incident that took place a day later. Learn more about that by reading our previous coverage below.

Update, 12:13 p.m. July 28: The Denver Police Department has released a composite sketch of a man suspected of using a stun gun as part of an attempted assault on a woman walking alone early Sunday morning.

And the DPD hasn't ruled out the possibility that the same person is responsible for another attack on a woman about 24 hours later.

The suspect description in the Sunday morning attack, which took place on the 2300 block of South Broadway: a five-feet, ten-inch Hispanic or white male in his twenties, wearing a black shirt and pants and a black goatee. As for the man in the Monday assault, near the intersection of Lincoln and East 11th, he's described as a five-feet, nine-inch white male weighing in at around 200 pounds and wearing a long black beard.

In other words, similar but not identical.

The cops also released surveillance video of a spot around the corner from where the first attack took place. It shows a man leaving a white car, then rushing back to it about five minutes later. Check it out below, courtesy of CBS4, along with our earlier coverage.

Original item, 1:29 p.m. July 27: When Tasers make the news, it's usually because police officers have used them on suspects -- as was the case in the still-mystifying death of Alonzo Ashley at the Denver Zoo .

But Denver Police believe the supposedly nonlethal weapon was recently deployed against a woman by a man who may have had sexual assault on his mind.

The attack allegedly took place between 1:15 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on Sunday. A woman was walking alone on the 2300 block of South Broadway when someone came up to her from behind -- and an instant later, she felt a sting that she thinks came from a stun gun.

The man in question may have thought his victim would have been incapacitated. But as DPD spokesman Sonny Jackson explained in the Alonzo Ashley post linked above, Tasers used in the contact mode, as opposed to ones that shoot barbs, are designed to jolt without turning the person on the other end of the device into the equivalent of overcooked vermicelli. As a result, the woman was able to fight off the man, who'd grabbed her around the neck and was trying to haul her into an alley.

The suspect is described as a five-feet-ten-inch, black goateed Hispanic or Caucasian male in his twenties, who wore a black shirt and pants on the night of the incident.

The next morning during the same time frame, another woman walking alone was attacked, this time near the intersection of North Lincoln and East 11th Avenue. The man -- thought to be a five-feet-nine-inch, black bearded Caucasian male weighing in the 200 pound range -- tried to choke the woman, but he wound up with a face full of pepper spray.

The DPD reminds women not to walk alone at night -- and that makes sense given these assaults, not to mention a recent one in Boulder during which an eighteen-year-old was sexually assaulted during an early morning fast-food run. Call 720-913-2000 or 720-913-STOP (7867) with any information. And remember: Tasers aren't just for cops anymore.

More from our Colorado Crimes archive: "Stephanie Rochester legally insane when she smothered her baby, says state psych evaluation."

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