AURORA, Colo. — Aurora police have arrested a man suspected of kidnapping and assaulting a young girl who was headed to her bus stop on Friday morning.
On Friday morning, officers with the Aurora Police Department responded to a call involving a child. They learned that an 11-year-old girl had reported that she was kidnapped and sexually assaulted while making her way to the bus stop, police said.
Based on officers' preliminary investigation, a man approached the girl, grabbed her arm and took her to his apartment nearby, where he allegedly assaulted her. The girl was able to escape and found a person to help her call 911, police said.
An affidavit released Monday as part of the investigation reveals some additional details.
The victim told police that once inside the suspect's apartment, he took her to his bedroom and blocked the door with a dumbbell. The victim managed to escape after pushing the suspect away, moving the dumbbell and running out of the apartment.
Police found probable cause to search the suspect's residence, which was along the 1400 block of Mason Street. They then arrested 31-year-old Shukurani Mulenda, who is a registered sex offender, police said. They did not find any known relationship between Mulenda and the child.
Police said Mulenda was living at the apartment with his parents, who opened to the door to police after the initial 911 call. Police found that the victim's description of the bedroom perfectly matched what was observed when officers entered the home, according to the affidavit.
He faces charges of second-degree kidnapping and sexual assault on a child.
Aurora police said he was a registered sex offender following an incident in 2019.
Police said as of now, they do not know if the suspect had victimized anybody else. No other details were immediately available.
Editor's Note: This story was updated Monday with additional details from an arrest affidavit that was released on May 13.
