Woman says she was groped, hit with gun near elementary school

UPDATE: A Cedar Rapids woman told police a male acquaintance groped her and then struck her with a gun Monday after she agreed to give him a ride.

Several officers responded around 9:50 p.m. to an assault in progress in the 700 block of Seventh Avenue SW. They found a woman with a cut on her head.

Following a search of the area, police arrested Daniel Ray, 43, of Cedar Rapids, on suspicion of first-degree robbery and assault on a peace officer.

The woman told officers she agreed to give an acquaintance a ride from a gas station in Cedar Rapids. She said he wanted to go to Marion, but she told him she would only take him as far as Taylor Elementary School, because she wasn't headed to Marion.

Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said the woman told police an argument ensued and the man pulled out a handgun. She said he then sexually assaulted her over her clothing, according to the police report.

The woman responded by telling him to get out of the car and started honking her horn. Police said the suspect struck her in the head with the gun, took her cell phone and ran away.

The woman refused an ambulance, but was treated at a local hospital for the laceration, police said.

Police said a K-9 unit dog helped track the suspect to the 200 block of Fifth Street SW, where they found Ray and identified him as the suspect. He said he had injured his hand in a bar fight and requested to go to a hospital.

Officers took Ray to Mercy Medical Center, where he would not comply with several instructions, according to the police report. While at a registration desk, he turned and spit on one officer in the face, police said.

Ray eventually refused treatment at the hospital and was transported to the Linn County Jail, police said.