Knife-Attack Suspect Arrested On Reporter's Tip

DULUTH, GA — A man accused of pulling a knife on a woman after she gave him a ride from a Gwinnett County convenience store was arrested on a tip from a local reporter, police say.

Raul Arrue-Valle, 39, was located by police Thursday night around 9:30 p.m. at a home at East Hill Way and Victor Trail near Norcross. He was arrested and, after an interview at Gwinnett County Police Department headquarters, transported to the county jail.

The tip that led to his arrest came from a local reporter who had made contact with him, said Gwinnett County Police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera. Police did not identify the reporter who passed along the tip.

On Sunday, June 18, a woman was approached at about 4:30 a.m. by a man at the QuikTrip convenience store at 2185 Beaver Ruin Rd. near Norcross.

The man told her he was from out of town and asked for a ride to a home in Duluth, police said. The victim agreed.

Police say the man gave her several different directions while she was driving. At the intersection of Green Street and Eagle Terrace near Duluth, the man reached over and turned off the ignition to her car.

He pulled out a knife and lunged at her. The woman screamed for help and the man got out of her car and ran away, police said. The woman received a small cut on her hand.

Luckily for investigators, the attacker dropped his cellphone on the passenger seat before he ran away. The case was assigned to a detective, who identified Arrue-Valle as the suspect.

The woman told police she didn't know the man's intentions, but believes he may have wanted to take her down a dark street and rape her.

Arrue-Valle is charged with aggravated assault.

Photos courtesy Gwinnett County Police Department