Police arrest a man accused of sexually assaulting a self-storage worker in Miami Gardens

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida. – Police arrested a sexual assault suspect after a traffic stop in southwest Miami-Dade on Friday; He is accused of attacking an employee at a self-storage facility in Miami Gardens over the summer under the guise of checking out a unit.

According to an arrest report from the Miami Gardens Police Department, the crime occurred on June 20 around 3 p.m.

The location was partially redacted from the report, although a listed address number appears to match US Storage Centers, located north of Hard Rock Stadium at 2765 NW 207th St.

Police said the victim called authorities after the attack and reported that “a customer had attempted to rape her in one of the storage units.”

According to the report, the woman was able to identify the attacker as a former patron, David Joseph. The 35-year-old’s address is listed as being just a few blocks northwest of US Storage Centers.

Six days later, police said the woman gave a sworn statement about the attack.

They said she told investigators that Joseph entered the store and “asked for the smallest unit available.”

The report states that the couple went to the unit and Joseph tried to kiss the victim in an elevator “and she just backed away from him.”

When they arrived at the unit, authorities said Joseph “grabbed her by the arm” as she stood in the doorway, “pulled her into the unit and forcibly pulled down her pants,” then touched her genitals and attempted to perform oral sex on her to make her.

The report states the woman “yelled” at Joseph and told him there were cameras, at which point she stopped.

“She stated she remained calm and they both walked out,” police wrote. “The victim stated that she extended her arm in front of her to put distance between them and walked in and out of the elevator that way until they got on the golf cart to head back to the office go.”

Authorities said Joseph drove away in an SUV.

The report states that investigators issued a flier listing a possible accident causer for Joseph and a Miami-Dade police officer located him driving in the Leisure City area on Friday.

Police said the officer stopped Joseph at Southwest 144th Avenue and 288th Street and took him into custody.

A Miami Gardens detective went to the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Cutler Bay station to speak with Joseph, but Joseph exercised his right to remain silent, police said.

Joseph, who was facing sexual assault charges, remained behind bars at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center early Monday afternoon on $50,000 bond.