Oklahoma City Police Officer Arrested For Sexually Assaulting At Least 6 Women While On Duty
Daniel Ken Holtzclaw, an Oklahoma City police officer, was arrested on Thursday for sexually assaulting at least six women while on duty, media reports said, citing police. Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty reportedly said that the 27-year-old officer has been booked on suspicion of “rape, forcible oral sodomy, sexual battery and indecent exposure.”
Citty reportedly said that the case involving the three-year veteran was very “disturbing” and that police officials have identified seven victims, all of whom are reportedly African-American, but have received statements from only six of them. According to reports, Holtzclaw stopped these women while patrolling the Spring Lake division in northeast Oklahoma City and sexually assaulted them. Police also said that their investigation revealed that the incidents took place between February and June.
“It taints all of us, and the officers know that and they take it very personally,” Citty reportedly said, according to NewsOn6, a local news website. “And it angers us that one of our people, one of our officers, that people trust to keep them safe, is doing just the opposite.”
Anthony Douglas, president of the Oklahoma National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said, according to NewsOn6: “We have some good officers on the force, but yet as we see today, we have a problem when it comes to African Americans and police officers.”
Police officials also reportedly said that the incident came to light after they received a complaint from a woman on June 18, and added that there may be other victims who are yet to come forward.
"We started the investigation and we started looking at traffic stops he had made throughout the previous months to try to identify and initiate contact with females that we knew he had stopped during that period of time ... to see if they had been sexually assaulted," Citty reportedly said, adding: “If there is anyone that was victimized by this officer, we certainly want to hear from them."
One of the victims, identified as a 57-year-old woman, said, according to NewsOn6, that she was at work when she received news of the officer being arrested.
“My heart started beating fast, my hands started shaking,” she reportedly said. “Only thing I could do was turn my head to keep the tears away. Nothing else would come to my mind but that's him!”
“It was him, no doubt about it,” she reportedly said, after seeing his photo, which was released by the police. “It was him. He did that to me!”
Holtzclaw has been held in the Oklahoma County jail on a $5 million bond.
"I think it is awesome," she said. "I think he deserves a $20 million bond for what he did, for what he put me through, you know," the woman said, according to NewsOn6.
Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater reportedly said that charges against Holtzclaw could be filed by Aug. 29.
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