PATERSON, NJ — Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Officer-In-Charge Isa Abbassi of the Paterson Police Department announced the arrest of 28-year-old Diquan A. West from Paterson, New Jersey. West is facing multiple charges related to two separate incidents of kidnapping and armed robbery that occurred on April 20 and April 23 in Paterson.
West is charged with two counts each of first-degree kidnapping and armed robbery, first-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and certain persons not to have weapons. Additionally, he faces three counts of third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact and one count of attempted aggravated criminal sexual contact.
The first incident involved a 27-year-old woman who reported being accosted at gunpoint around 6:00 a.m. on April 20 near Market Street and East 22nd Street. The assailant forced her to a remote location, stole her personal items, and sexually assaulted her before fleeing.
The second reported incident occurred on April 23, when a 28-year-old woman was similarly accosted at approximately 5:10 a.m., robbed, and nearly sexually assaulted at a different location. Following an investigation, police apprehended West at the Paterson Police Department Headquarters on April 29 without incident.
