The alleged attacker of a woman in the Gare du Nord district (10th arrondissement) has been charged and taken into custody. Passersby, alerted by the victim's screams, chased and subdued him before the police intervened.

Without the intervention of passersby, this predator would undoubtedly have succeeded. This 27-year-old Tunisian national was charged with attempted rape while intoxicated on Tuesday in Paris, before being imprisoned. He is suspected of having attempted to abuse a 67-year-old woman on the night of Sunday, October 5, in the middle of the street next to the Gare du Nord (10th arrondissement). The sixty-year-old was saved thanks to the intervention of a couple, who interrupted the attack at the last minute.

Lost in the 10th arrondissement after a wedding

It's 2 a.m. when she returns home to Paris after attending a wedding. Public transportation drops her off at the Gare du Nord. But she doesn't really know the neighborhood and gets lost in the streets, which are still quite busy at that time of night. She asks strangers for directions. A man offers to walk her. On Rue d'Alsace, his behavior changes radically and he surprises her. Much stronger than her, he pulls her by the hair, hits her in the face, and throws her to the ground. His intentions seem clear. "This young man tries to tear off the victim's clothes and pulls down his own pants," notes a source close to the case.

"Help!" she yelled. A couple passing by immediately intervened. The attacker fled, getting dressed as best he could and snatching the watch from the victim's wrist. He was pursued by good Samaritans and a man on a scooter. It was the woman who ran the fastest and managed to catch the criminal. "He turned around before hitting her chest," the same source said indignantly. Within seconds, she was supported by her husband, the scooter rider, and other witnesses, who roughly subdued the suspect. "He was somewhat roughed up. He was certainly beaten up before being overpowered by the group," our source added.

The suspect claims to have no memory of the events

The police were called and officers arrived at the scene. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody at the premises of the Second Judicial Police District. During the hearings, this young man, who was in the country illegally, maintained that he was drunk and had no memory of the night's events. The witnesses, however, were adamant: he was about to commit rape. The victim's watch was returned to him. And the medical-legal emergency room granted him five days of total incapacity for work.