Police release footage of suspect in reported Oakland rape

Pittsburgh police on Tuesday released video footage of a suspect they believe raped a woman in Oakland on Sunday — and they’re seeking the public’s help to identify him.

The suspect, who is seen in black clothing in the surveillance footage, is described as possibly in his 30s, 5-foot-7 and about 150 pounds. He was wearing a black ski mask.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or Pittsburgh police’s Special Victims Unit at 412-323-7141.

Police seek the public's assistance to help identify the male in this video.

He is the suspect in the violent sexual assault of a young woman at approximately 2 a.m. on March 3, 2024 in the 200 block of Melwood Avenue in Oakland.

Info? Call 9-1-1.https://t.co/mQWjEPmBRV pic.twitter.com/FHIj4QWPxP

— Pittsburgh Police (@PghPolice) March 5, 2024

The University of Pittsburgh on Monday stepped up police patrols following the reported rape, which took place near Pitt’s Oakland campus — in the 200 block of Melwood Avenue — at about 2:10 a.m.

Pittsburgh police said the victim reported being sexually assaulted by a man wearing a black ski mask who displayed a knife, hit her in the face and took her cellphone.

The woman had just stepped off a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus on Centre Avenue and was talking on her cellphone when the man approached her, according to police.

He took her into a back alley and “forced her to remove her undergarments,” police said. He then threatened to kill her, and punched her in the eye, according to the police account.

Neither Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Cara Cruz nor Pitt authorities would say if the victim has any connection to the school.

About 29,500 students are enrolled on Pitt’s main campus, roughly two-thirds of them undergraduates.

A Pittsburgh Regional Transit official declined on Monday to say whether the bus that dropped the woman off captured video that could assist detectives.