Woman Fights Off Would-Be Rapist Who Beat Her With Tire Iron: DA

BROWNSVILLE, BROOKLYN -- A young woman fought off the man taped her mouth shut and tried to rape her at knife point, then helped police to capture him, according to court records and reports.

The young woman said Oniel Reid, 34, snuck up behind her near Lott and Christopher avenues then put a knife to her throat at about 6 p.m. on Jan. 3, court records show.

Reid then taped her mouth shut and pulled her into his car where he beat her with a tire iron before taking off her underwear and sexually abusing her, according to the criminal complaint.

But the 20-year-old woman was able to wrestle the knife away from Reid and struggled against him for almost 15 minutes until he gave up and threw her from the car, police told the Daily News.

"She saved her own life," said NYPD Captain Alison Esposito told the Daily News. "He got frustrated and ended up dumping her because of that fight."

Reid drove away with her purse, which had the young woman's cellphone inside it, and tried to escape, court records show.

Police from the 73rd Precinct rushed to the scene, where the young woman gave them a description of her attacker, his car and the number of the cellphone he stole, the Daily News reported.

Cops used the phone to track Reid to Mount Vernon in Westchester County where they arrested him the following morning, according to the Daily News.

Reid was charged in Brooklyn Criminal Court with 15 counts that include kidnapping, robbery, assault, sexual abuse and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the criminal complaint.

He is being held at the Brooklyn Detention Complex on $500,000 bail, state records show.

Photo by Renee Schiavone