3rd suspect in Detroit alley gang rapes turns self in

Detroit — A third person who police claim was involved in a gang that raped a woman and forced her male companion to watch turned himself in to authorities Monday night, days after two alleged members were arrested.

That man, identified by police as Chico Lee Bruce, 22, was expected to be arraigned, said Sgt. Cassandra Lewis, a spokeswoman for the Detroit Police Department.

Three other members have not yet been identified.

Antoine Edward-Ikie Orr, 18, was arrested Thursday at his home in the 13500 block of Woodmont on the city’s northwest side; a second suspect, Jordon Reese, 17, was arrested later that day near Seven Mile and Joann, police said.

Both men were arraigned Friday on 13 counts of first-degree sexual assault as well as armed robbery and kidnapping charges. They are being held on $250,000 cash bonds.

Detroit resident Martin Jones was part of a group that passed out fliers with an artist’s rendering of the men believed to have been involved in the shocking rape. He was happy to hear of the arrests, and said it is important for more people to get involved in the fight against crime.

“People need to be made aware of what’s happening in their neighborhoods, but they also need to know that someone does care enough to come out of their comfort zone and come into their neighborhood,” he said.

“We need to organize, stand up, and get the men off their couches and out of their homes; that’s what makes a community. It’s not every man for himself. We need to look out for each other.”

Police say the gang struck the night of July 16. At about 10 p.m., in the 10300 block of McNichols, a 21-year-old female and a 22-year-old male were walking in the area when they were approached by six men. One pointed a gun at the victims and forced them into a nearby alley.

“It’s horrifying,” Deputy Chief Charles Fitzgerald said during a news conference after the assaults. “You try to teach people to walk in pairs, and (the victims) did.”

Less than two hours later, police believe, the gang struck again in the same area west of the Lodge freeway. Two men approached a 19-year-old female and 21-year-old male and at gunpoint ordered them into a nearby alley, where they raped the woman while the man was forced to watch. Their clothing was taken, Fitzgerald said.

“The suspects then fled on foot and were seen near a blue Ford SUV,” Fitzgerald said.

The two instances are thought to be connected, Fitzgerald said. He said it was unclear whether they drove the blue SUV.

Police believe the same group may be responsible for a third incident July 11 that featured similar circumstances.

“The investigators believe (Orr, Reese and Bruce) were involved in the first sexual assault, and they’re still trying to determine whether they were involved in the others,” Detroit police officer Nicole Kirkwood said.

ghunter@detroitnews.com

(313) 222-2134

Staff Writer Mark Hicks contributed to this report.