PORTLAND, Ore. (TCD) — Police arrested a Klamath Falls man after he allegedly kidnapped a prostitute from Seattle, then sexually assaulted and locked her in a cinder block cell in his garage.
According to an FBI statement shared by the Klamath Falls Police Department, on July 15, detectives went to Sky Lakes Medical Center to speak with a victim of a rape who said she met up with Negasi Zuberi at around midnight on July 14. Zuberi allegedly told the victim, who remains unnamed, that he was a police officer and he was arresting her. He put her in handcuffs and chained her legs together, then drove her from Seattle to Klamath Falls.
The victim said Zuberi looked like a police officer because he had a Taser, gun, and other equipment.
During the drive, Zuberi allegedly sexually assaulted her and raped her. When they got to his residence, he purportedly put her in a room he constructed in his garage that included a “security screen door and an exterior door making it very difficult to get out of.”
The FBI called the room a “dungeon.”
The victim told the FBI she “knew Zuberi would kill her if she stayed in the room.”
The FBI said the woman “repeatedly banged on the door and was able to break the door open and escape the room.” Once she got outside, she caught the attention of a passing driver, who then called 911.
After obtaining a search warrant, Klamath Falls Police detectives went to Zuberi’s house and discovered the cell.
According to the FBI, detectives tracked Zuberi to Reno, Nevada, and contacted local law enforcement there. Reno Police Department officers found Zuberi’s car in a Walmart parking lot, and Zuberi and the officers engaged in a standoff. He was eventually taken into custody and transported to a nearby hospital.
The FBI said it believes this woman was not Zuberi’s first victim.
In a tweet, the FBI said Zuberi has been linked to incidents in California, Nevada, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and New York, among others. The FBI added Zuberi “has been linked to violent sexual assaults in at least four states.” Other victims might know him as “Sakima,” “Justin Hyche,” or “Justin Kouassi.”
The FBI wrote, “It is believed he may have used several different methods to gain control of his victims.”
Zuberi allegedly would threaten the victims “with retaliation if they notify the police.”
In a press conference shared by KGW-TV, prosecutors obtained a federal criminal complaint against Zuberi for interstate kidnapping. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
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