Man recounts chasing down accused rapist after child was attacked at Miami park – NBC 6 South Florida

A good Samaritan recounted the moments he and others chased down a man accused of raping a girl at a park in Miami.

Authorities said 18-year-old Antwan Johnson tricked an 11-year-old girl into going into a bathroom at Gwen Cherry Park before he attacked her Tuesday evening.

According to Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputies, Johnson told the girl that the men’s room was out of toilet paper and asked her to get some from the women’s room. He then followed her inside and raped her twice in a toilet stall, authorities said.

A witness walked into the restroom and saw what was happening. That’s when Johnson ran out, police said. That witness rushed after the suspect and yelled out that he had sexually battered the child inside the restroom.

Mike Santiague, who was at the park that evening, told NBC6 he was in the right place at the right time.

“When I locked eyes with him, I knew the situation was serious,” Santiague said.

Santiague recalled that he heard a woman yelling.

“(She said) stop him, he just raped this girl,” he said.

Santiague said he saw the young man running, and he and several other people chased him into the neighborhood across the street.

“He was jumping gates, got caught behind the house and we cornered him at that point,” Santiague said.

They held him down until deputies showed up.

“That community and that park, I have little cousins who cheer, a nephew who plays, so it’s big to me,” Santiague said.

At one point, he saw the girl’s mom.

“She was very upset and hurt,” Santiague said. “Words can’t even explain the look on her face because it looked like she was not even there.”

He now hopes the young girl gets the help and support she needs. He also hopes Johnson gets help as well.

“We have to do better with our mental health and helping out others because a lot of times these situations don’t stem from nothing, they stem from a past traumatic situation that happened with him,” Santiague said.

Miami-Dade County Parks Director Christina White said in a statement that the department is “deeply saddened by the recent incident at Gwen Cherry Park. Our hearts go out to the victim and their family, and we wish them a full recovery during this incredibly difficult time.”

White added that the victim was not participating in any county parks summer program at the time of the incident.

“The safety and well-being of all park visitors is our highest priority,” the statement read. “We are cooperating fully with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation and remain committed to providing safe, welcoming, and secure spaces for every member of our community.”