Accused Serial Rapist EMT Held Without Bail

An emergency medical technician accused of living a double life as a serial sexual predator was arraigned Thursday and ordered held without bail, according to the Brooklyn district attorney's office.

Police say Angus Pascall, 33, used a universal elevator control key issued by the Fire Department to trap at least one of his victims, an 11-year-old girl. He was arrested Tuesday in Brooklyn after a woman who had been attacked a day earlier gave police the license plate number of a car he was driving, police said.

His attorney, John Burke, did not immediately return phone messages Thursday seeking comment.

Police said that since 2001, Pascall has raped or sexually assaulted five women and girls.

Two of the alleged attacks took place inside elevators, including the assault on the 11-year-old earlier this month at a public housing project in Brooklyn.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said that during the attack, Pascall used a universal elevator control key issued to most uniformed Fire Department employees to summon a car and then hold it in place while he sodomized the victim at gunpoint.

The keys can also open gates in the subway system, in order to allow emergency personnel to access platforms and secluded areas of stations quickly during off-hours. Many transit workers are issued the keys.

Copies of the keys also routinely fall into the hands of members of the general public; transit officials seize dozens each year from riders who use them to sneak into the subways.

Police said Pascall's first known attack was in 2001, years before he became an EMT, when he raped a 22-year-old woman at gunpoint in her home. Pascall also was linked to two attacks last year: A 19-year-old woman was assaulted in an elevator and a 14-year-old was attacked behind an apartment building, police said.

In the latest assault, a 20-year-old victim told investigators a man forced her into a car at gunpoint Monday afternoon and raped her. She was able to get a license plate number as he drove away.

Police said three victims had picked Pascall out of lineups.

At the time of Pascall's arrest, he was facing an earlier domestic violence charge, according to court records. That case is still pending. His last scheduled court appearance was on Monday, the same day as the latest rape. He was expected to return to court on Tuesday.

All the alleged attacks occurred while Pascall was off-duty.