DETROIT – Volunteers passed out flyers Wednesday in the 7 Mile Road and Livernois area in an effort to help find a man Detroit police say has committed six sexual assaults.
All reported assaults -- starting back on March 24 -- have been on the city's west side.
Local 4 normally does not identify victims of sexual assault but Joya Porties has insisted on going public. She says the man shot out the tire of her car and drove away with her before she escaped.
She joined Crime Stoppers for a Wednesday news conference. The group is offering a $1,000 reward.
"I am proud today that the men of our community have been standing by me since day one when they found out what happened," said Porties.
The man is described as a light-skinned African American between 25 and 40 years old, standing about 5 feet 10 inches and weighing about 270 pounds.
"I feel like he is escalating. He has a weapon. Anyone who has a weapon is going to escalate and eventually it may get worse. So we're trying to catch this guy as fast as possible," said Sgt. Jones, of the Detroit Police Sex Crimes unit.
Crime Stoppers says its call center in Canada shows no caller ID. Tipsters will not be identified.
"You can be a hero, a shero, a giant, a champion and call in anonymously," said Malik Shabazz, of the New Marcus Garvey Movement.
Porties says she will not move from her neighborhood. She has seven children.
"I don't want them to have a memory of, you know, someone did something to mommy. I want them to have the memory that mommy stood up for herself and did what she had to do to protect us," she said.
She is convinced someone knows her attacker and can help police bring him in.
The New Marcus Garvey Movement is looking for more volunteers to help canvass the area on Thursday.
The number for Crime Stoppers is 800-SPEAK-UP.