Cops arrested a man early Wednesday morning who is accused of choking a woman and trying to rape her on a Hell’s Kitchen street.
Anthony Smith, 37, was charged with attempted rape and strangulation. According to police, he crept up behind a 21-year-old woman walking near the corner of W. 47th St. and Eighth Ave. around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, clamped his arm around her neck, dragged her to the ground and choked her unconscious.
Smith then attempted to strip off the woman’s clothes, but she came to and he ran off down W. 47th St. heading west toward Ninth Ave., cops said.
The woman was was taken to Metropolitan Hospital where she was treated for minor injuries.
Cops canvassing the area recovered surveillance footage allegedly of Smith, who was wearing a black T-shirt, black shorts and white sneakers. Cops released surveillance images of the suspect, in hopes that someone would recognize him.
According to police, Smith lives about four blocks away from the scene of the attempted rape.
His arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court was pending Wednesday.
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