Police want to reassure the public that not only do they know who the suspect is, they say he is no stranger to the victim's family and they believe he has fled the Bay Area. The suspect broke into the victim's home just after 6:00 a.m. Saturday on usually quiet Evelyn Avenue near the Albany border. Police say 27-year-old Omar Sosa entered the single-story home through an unlocked bedroom window.
"It was because of a very courageous victim. She's been very cooperative in assisting us and we've really been able to put the pieces together with her help," said Officer Andrew Frankel.
Police are not saying how old the victim is. Sosa fled before authorities arrived at the house. They believe he may have somehow hurt his hands or fingers during the assault. Originally, authorities called it a "stranger rape," a rarity in Berkeley. There was just one last year.
However, detectives now believe the girl's family knows Sosa. While police are not saying what the relationship is, property records show Sosa may have lived next door for a few months until 2009. There is now a warrant for his arrest. He is wanted for rape, sodomy, false imprisonment, oral copulation, burglary and sexual battery.
"At this point, we believe the suspect is fleeing south in an attempt to get to Mexico. We've alerted all of our sister agencies all the way down to the Mexican border," Frankel said.
The yellow crime tape at the scene is the only remaining visible sign of the attack. The concern neighbors say they are now living with cannot be seen, but it is real.
"I'm the kind of person that leaves them open during the day and I kind of leave a lock behind them at night. But, it does make you kind of wary a little bit to think about someone coming into your home through your window because it really does seem like a safe area," Dzidzonu Djugba told ABC7.
Sosa is believed to be driving a 1997 Ford Ranger. It is gray, with a double cab and has a white camper shell. They believe he is headed to Mexico.
Police do not have a license plate number, but they are hoping anyone who sees Sosa will call Berkeley police. They say he has a heavy Spanish accent and may be have an injury on one of his hands.
