Two groups of men had a loud argument early Sunday morning that led to one man pulling a knife and making threatening statements outside of the 415 Lake St. parking garage. Shortly after Madison Police Department officers arrived on the scene, a victim of an alleged sexual assault was also found inside the structure.
The fight led to the arrest of William N. McKinnie, 30, for alleged disorderly conduct while armed.
“MPD officers were on the scene immediately and took [McKinnie] into custody,” MPD Public Information Officer Joel DeSpain wrote in an incident report. “It's believed the MPD's presence is likely what interrupted a sexual assault that was taking place inside of the ramp.”
MPD assigns additional officers to the “entertainment district” on Friday and Saturday nights, according to the report, which allowed the officers to quickly respond to the fight. That incident was at 2:17 a.m., and the reported sexual assault followed at 2:20 a.m. A security guard found the 23-year-old female victim in the ramp.
“The victim said she had been approached by two men,” DeSpain wrote in a separate incident report. “One sexually assaulted her while the other acted as a look out. She says both got spooked and took off when a disturbance broke out in the ramp.”
The security guard was walking around the ramp when he found the woman crouched between two cars, crying. No arrests have been made in the sexual assault case.
