PORTLAND, Ore. — Warning: This story contains details that some readers may find disturbing.
An Oregon man posed as a police officer to kidnap a woman in Seattle, then sexually assaulted and imprisoned her in a cinderblock cell in the garage of his Klamath Falls home before she managed to escape, the Portland FBI office said Wednesday.
The suspect, 29-year-old Negasi Zuberi, was arrested after the woman escaped by beating "the door with her hands until they were bloody" and flagged down a passing motorist who called 911, the FBI said.
The FBI said they have linked Zuberi to additional violent sexual assaults in other states and they have reason to believe there may be other victims. The investigation has expanded to 10 states where the Zuberi lived in the past decade.
On July 15, Zuberi traveled to Seattle and solicited the services of a sex worker, the FBI said citing court records, then posed as an undercover police officer to kidnap her. The woman told investigators that Zuberi pointed a taser at her and handcuffed her in the backseat of his car, then drove about 450 miles with her, sexually assaulting her along the way.
She said that when they got to his home in Klamath Falls, he put her in a makeshift cell made of cinderblocks in his garage. According to the FBI complaint, the victim briefly fell asleep but "awoke to the realization that she would likely die if she did not attempt to escape."
The cell had a metal door that could not be opened from the inside, but the victim said that once Zuberi left, she began punching the door in an effort to escape.
"According to the complaint, this woman was kidnapped, chained, sexually assaulted, and locked in a cinderblock cell," Assistant Special Agent in Charge Stephanie Shark said in a statement. "Police say, she beat the door with her hands until they were bloody in order to break free. Her quick thinking and will to survive may have saved other women from a similar nightmare."
A captain with the Klamath Falls Police Department told reporters that the victim was able to break some of the metal door's welded joints, creating an opening just large enough for her to climb through.
“When she was trying to escape the cell itself, she repeatedly punched the door with her own hands,” said Capt. Rob Reynolds. “She had several lacerations along her knuckles.”
On her way out of the house, the woman got into Zuberi's vehicle and retrieved a handgun she'd seen in it earlier, taking it with her. She flagged down a passing motorist who called 911.
Klamath Falls police got a search warrant for the house and found the makeshift cell, as well as some handwritten notes appearing to show some of Zuberi's plans for the kidnapping and for the construction of a below-ground space.
The Associated Press reported that one of the handwritten notes was labeled “Operation Take Over” and included entries that read, “Leave phone at home” and “Make sure they don’t have a bunch of ppl (sic) in their life. You don’t want any type of investigation.” Another handwritten document appeared to include a rough sketch for an underground structure using concrete blocks, foam insulation and waterproof concrete.
The Klamath Falls rental home where Zuberi allegedly took the woman is owned by the city's mayor, Carol Westfall, and her husband, Kevin, according to property records. The house backs onto a park and is on a residential street, less than a quarter-mile (half a kilometer) from a highway in the city of roughly 22,000 people, the Associated Press reported.
Court records show that after Zuberi’s arrest, the couple had him evicted.
"We are shocked and dismayed by what has occurred," the Westfalls, who declined to comment on their interactions with Zuberi, said in an email to the Associated Press. "We applaud the actions of the woman who helped capture this person and prevent him from committing further atrocities."
Zuberi fled to Reno, the FBI said, where he was located and arrested after "a brief standoff with local police." According to the complaint, Zuberi was with his wife and one of his children when police found him in a Walmart parking lot. They were not harmed during the arrest.
"We are fortunate that this brave woman escaped and alerted authorities. Through quick law enforcement action we were able to get Zuberi in custody the next day," Shark said.
Zuberi was charged with interstate kidnapping, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, FBI officials said at a news conference.
The FBI said Zuberi has lived in 10 states over the past decade and investigators have reason to believe there could be additional sexual assault victims. The investigation has extended to Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado, Utah, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Alabama and Nevada.
According to the Associated Press, before moving to Klamath Falls, a city of some 22,000 people, a few months ago, Zuberi lived in Vancouver, Washington, where court records show the landlord sought to evict him.
Landlord Abishek Kandar said in a text message that Zuberi didn't pay rent for six months, illegally sublet the home, bred puppies, damaged the property and threatened neighbors.
“He is a horrible person,” Kandar said. “He deserves to be in jail.”
Zuberi lived in numerous states. According to court records, a man with one of Zuberi’s alleged aliases, Justin Kouassi, was accused of punching a person in the face in Denver last year. An arrest warrant was issued for Kouassi, court records show, but Denver police do not have any record of Zuberi or anyone with one of his aliases being arrested.
Zuberi has also been known by the first name Sakima, or by the full names Justin Hyche and Justin Kouassi, the FBI said, and other victims may know him by the Sakima name. He may have used multiple methods to gain control of different victims, the FBI said, such as by drugging their drinks or impersonating a police officer.
Victims in such circumstances are often threatened with retaliation if they notify authorities, the FBI said.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim or has any information concerning Zuberi under any of the names is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or to contact the Portland field office at 503-224-4181 or their nearest local FBI office or American Embassy or Consulate. Tips can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov, and the agency has also set up a specific page for potential victims of Zuberi here.
Gene Johnson and Andrew Selsky of the Associated Press contributed to this story.