After a multi-state manhunt, officials arrested an accused serial rapist who fled Arizona after disconnecting his electronic tracking device. According to ABC15, Alex Bangash, 23, was apprehended in a rural Texas county following a joint operation with Tempe police and the US Marshals. Tempe police are now investigating five alleged sexual assaults, one of which involved a kid and dates back to 2018.
Despite his not guilty plea, Bangash faces significant allegations, including sexual assault, kidnapping, and aggravated assault. Prior incidents suggest violent sexual encounters that are frequently begun through social media activities, where the possibility of anonymity and false trust adds to the predatory nature of these assaults. According to Ground News, Bangash once told one accused victim, “I love you; I’m going to kill you. I’m going to kill for you.”
Both victims and officials have expressed serious concern about the level and pattern of assault. In a statement received by ABC15, Commander Giltinan of the Tempe Police underlined the level of Bangash’s alleged brutality: “Alex Bangash is a disturbed individual,” he claimed. “Multiple forcible sexual assaults and other violent crimes have led to his accusations and arrest.” Bangash, who formerly commanded significant online attention, has seen his offline acts instill fear and a tangible sense of danger in the community.
In a telling mistake, Bangash managed to remove his GPS ankle monitor and flee his residence on March 10, despite the court’s risk-mitigation measures, which included a ban on internet use and an injunction against seeking romantic relationships. The gadget was discovered dumped in a nearby alley, a quiet witness to the system’s shortcomings, which Brooke Fulton of the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence described as “absolutely unacceptable” in an interview with ABC 15. This escape represented not just a flight from justice but also an indictment of the institutions we rely on to safeguard the most vulnerable from such growing threats.
As the narrative unfolds, Tempe police encourage any other victims to come forward in pursuit of the justice process. “We stand by, ready to help. We were very invested in bringing justice to the survivors that we worked with through this entire process, and we will be just as invested in bringing you justice if you are a victim of Alex Bangash,” Giltinan told ABC15.
