Suspect charged with sexually assaulting, beating woman in public restroom

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - An Oklahoma woman visiting South Mississippi with her family is in the hospital recovering after police say she was brutally assaulted Monday at a Gulfport shopping center.

Authorities say the suspect - identified as 28-year-old Andrew Malik Jones - was waiting inside the restroom at Gulfport Premium Outlets when the victim entered around 6:43pm. The victim told police Jones pushed her into a stall, physically assaulted her, then raped her.

Police say the suspect then grabbed the victim’s purse and tried to flee. The victim’s husband told WLOX Jones tried run through the parking lot towards Interstate 10 but the husband and others stopped him, holding him there until officers arrived.

The woman received serious injuries, including a fracture to her skull, said her husband. She was later taken to a New Orleans hospital to be treated for her injuries. The husband told WLOX that he and his wife live in Oklahoma and are visiting the Mississippi Gulf Coast with their young daughter.

Jones is now charged with robbery and sexual battery. He’s being held in the Harrison County Jail awaiting his initial appearance. A bond of $500,000 for each charge has been set.

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