Video Shows Florida Man Allegedly Raping Unconscious Woman Behind A Trash Bin

GAINESVILLE – Police say a video shows a Florida man raping an unconscious woman behind a trash bin outside a restaurant. Ben Tobias, Gainesville police spokesman, said two witnesses pulled 34-year-old Christopher Shaw off the 19-year-old woman early Thursday, says a report by Fox News. They said the woman was intoxicated, “unable to walk on her own” and that she had “difficulty talking and keeping her eyes open” and had trouble speaking. According to police, the woman gave an interview in the hospital after she regained consciousness and told them she didn’t know the man who attacked her and that she did not give consent for sex with him. She told police she tried to push him away but she was unable because she kept losing consciousness. She said she kept pushing him away and telling him “no,” but she was “physically helpless because she was going in and out of consciousness due to her level of intoxication.”

Police: Video shows Florida man raping unconscious woman https://t.co/fnfTaory7Y pic.twitter.com/RHS66UGMz1

— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) July 22, 2016

The video, taken by one of the witnesses, shows Shaw allegedly raping the woman behind the Florida restaurant’s trash bin. The police report states the video shows the woman being attacked was defenseless. The police report reveals that Shaw told police he “was walking through the alleyway and the victim pulled him next to the dumpsters.” The report says the man “admitted to making out with the victim” behind the dumpster but he “denied any sexual contact” with her. The statement he gave was “completely contradicted by the video and the victim’s testimony,” according to the police report.

“Upon viewing the videos, it is clear the victim was mentally and physically unable to give consent due to her level of intoxication. The victim was slumping over and unable to hold up her head. The (defendant) can be seen pushing the victim back up….When pushed back up the victim’s eyes were closed and her head fell back against the dumpster.”

One of the witnesses was a University of Florida linebacker. He described the events he witnessed to Fox 35 News. Christian Garcia said it was the last thing he ever expected to see, surprised to see a man allegedly raping an unconscious woman while he was taking out the trash at the restaurant where he works.

“I took about five steps and turned around and realized the girl was practically unconscious, so I turned around, I grabbed the guy by the shoulder, and I said, ‘Get off her!’ He said, ‘Mind your business!’ He tried to fight me and threw a few punches, but he fell flat on his face.”

Garcia went on to say he never feared for his own safety. He said he acted out of instinct, hoping that if the same thing occurred involving his family, someone else would act as he did.

“I just hoped that if that was my mom or my sister that somebody would do the same thing, so I just stepped in and tried to diffuse the situation.”

Florida Gators linebacker Christian Garcia is being credited for stopping a sexual assault in progress. https://t.co/1zRyxGYUyA

— Sasha (@SeasonsOfSasha) July 23, 2016

Although Gainesville, Florida, police responded to the scene right away, unfortunately Shaw was gone before they arrived on scene. Tobias said he was thankful that “in less than 24 hours,” police were able to identify Shaw as the man suspected of the attack and place him under arrest.

The attack and subsequent arrest comes just one week after the sentencing of a former Vanderbilt football player to 15 years in prison. He had been convicted of participating in the gang rape of an unconscious female student. Additionally, the event comes after people were furious over the case of a swimmer at Stanford University who was convicted by a jury of raping an unconscious student behind a dumpster on campus in January 2015. Brock Turner was only sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to register as a sex offender for life. Social media showed people were outraged at what they considered a light sentence. Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of six years, but the swimmer was only given six months, as previously reported by the Inquisitr. The judge in that case said that Turner had a clean criminal record and that a harsher sentence would have a negative effect on his life. Critics of the judge’s ruling blamed the fact that Turner is white and from a wealthy family for the light sentence, says ABC News.

The video clearly showed the Florida man raping an unconscious woman behind a restaurant’s trash bin, say police. No word yet as to how he will plea. Shaw has been charged with sexual battery and was jailed on a $500,000 bond. There was not an attorney listed for him as of Friday.

[Image via Shutterstock]