A Buffalo man is charged with strangling and raping a woman he approached outside a corner store.
According to the Erie County District Attorney's Office, Carl Thomas, 24, grabbed a young woman last July at Broadway and Schutrum and gestured that he had a gun in his pocket. He then forced the victim to walk to an isolated area, where prosecutors say he strangled her to the point of unconsciousness and sexually assaulted her.
Thomas is charged with rape, criminal sex act, strangulation and sex abuse.
He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
