Man arrested in connection with 3 assaults in Tempe

A man was arrested Saturday in connection with three sexual assaults and burglaries in Tempe. Police said he told them he was under the influence of drugs and wanted to apologize to one of the victims, according to court records.

Tempe police said Djimon Boggs, 24, was arrested on suspicion of the crimes, which started on Sept. 15. All of the incidents took place in residences near South Gary Drive and East Eighth Street in Tempe.

According to arrest records, the first crime happened just before 4 a.m. on Sept. 15 when a man broke into a house and went into a woman's room while she was asleep.

Court documents state the woman told police she saw a man standing next to her bed. He then pushed her and pointed a "cold and hard" object at her, which she believed to be a gun. The woman yelled and the man ran out of the house, she told police.

Surveillance video obtained by police shows the man entering and fleeing the residence, according to court records.

Two more incidents happened later on separate dates.

A man, who was later identified as Boggs, was seen in surveillance camera footage jumping over a locked gate while holding what police said was a knife on Oct. 6 at about 3:30 p.m., according to arrest records.

A woman who was inside the residence told police she woke up when the man went into her bedroom, according to case records. She said she saw a man standing over her and holding something sharp to her neck. She said the man then sexually assaulted her.

According to court documents, the man grabbed the woman and put her in a bathroom. The woman said she could hear the man moving around her room, according to court documents.

The victim had contusions and lacerations across her body, case records stated.

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The third incident happened on Oct. 12 at about 5:30 a.m. A man, who was believed to be Boggs, jumped over a backyard wall in the same area, according to case documents. The man went into the house of a 72-year-old woman and attempted to attack her while she was asleep.

Records stated the woman told police she woke up when a man jumped into her bed and attempted to choke and sexually assault her, the woman told police.

The woman yelled for help and the man ran out of her bedroom, where a guest staying in the house saw him jump over the backyard wall and flee, according to court records.

Documents indicated the woman had injuries to her neck, arms, knee and face.

Surveillance video obtained near the residence showed a man matching Bogg's description going into the residence, according to arrest documents.

Police discovered that Boggs, who appeared to match the suspect description in the three surveillance videos, lived at a house just south of the street where the crimes happened.

Police said DNA samples obtained at the scene of one of the crimes matched Bogg's DNA. According to arrest records, Boggs told officers that he went into the residence where his DNA was found through an open garage door.

Boggs told police that he had an unloaded handgun with him because he wanted to "scare people inside of the residence," according to court documents. He also told police that when he entered the woman's room, he told her to stay quiet as he took items from the house. When she yelled, he said he fled through the garage door. It wasn't clear whether Boggs took any items from the house.

Boggs also told police he went into the other two victims' houses while he was under the influence of drugs and assaulted them, according to court documents. Boggs also stated he wanted to write an apology letter to the victim he sexually assaulted.

Boggs was facing sexual assault, aggravated assault and first-degree burglary charges. He was booked into the Tempe City Jail and was expected to be transferred to county jail.

Tempe police said Boggs was apprehended in coordinating efforts with the U.S. Marshals in Arizona.

"Thank you for your vigilance, cooperation, and commitment to keeping Tempe safe,” Tempe Police Chief Kenneth McCoy on behalf of the Tempe Police Department in a Saturday news release.

Police said the investigation was still ongoing and more updates were expected to be released at a later time.

"We are grateful for your patience as we ensure the highest level of attention and dedication to this investigation," police said in the news release.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Djimon Boggs arrested on suspicion of Tempe assaults