Witnesses stop man raping homeless woman in Chinatown

BOSTON -- A man was caught raping a homeless woman in a Chinatown alley on Saturday night.

The woman was raped in an alley behind Beach Street, police said.

According to police, a group of witnesses fought the attacker off of her, and detained him until authorities arrived.

The suspect, identified as Ezequiel Mandez, 47, suffered cuts and bruises on his face.

Mandez appeared in Boston Municipal Court on Monday. He was ordered held on $100,000 bail. 

Officials said Mandez has a lengthy criminal record, including 41 convictions. This is the first time he was accused of rape.

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