Features

Fremont Man Charged in Berkeley Rape Attempts

By Richard Brenneman
Thursday September 24, 2009 - 09:23:00 AM

A 21-year-old Fremont man faces charges of burglary and attempted rape stemming from two July 16 break-in assaults in Berkeley, police announced Wednesday. 

Berkeley Police Department spokesperson Officer Andrew Frankel announced the arrest in a press release issued nearly six weeks after the Aug. 4 arrest of Ferhat Djoumi. 

The first attack took place at 1:15 a.m. in the 2100 block of Cedar Street, where a woman awoke in bed to find a man lifting her skirt. 

“The victim’s mother (who was asleep in the same bed) woke and fought off the suspect until he fled the residence,” according to the statement. 

The next attack was reported at 7:24 a.m. in the 2600 block of Hillegass, where a college-age woman awoke to find a man on top of her. When she resisted, the man fled. 

Evidence discovered by a police crime scene technician led to Djoumi’s arrest by Berkeley detectives in Fremont. 

Two days later the Alameda County District Attorney’s office filed charges—two counts each, one for each incident—of attempted rape, sexual battery, burglary and false imprisonment. 

Frankel said the police released the information only after the final witness interview and the completion of the investigation.