A man suspected of raping a 12-year-old girl after she left a Bronx bodega last month was cuffed at a Massachusetts restaurant where he worked.
Malcolm Lugo, 20, was booked as a fugitive from justice after being tracked down at a Korean restaurant in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Sept. 18, according to state police there.
Authorities allege that Lugo is the man who followed the girl as she left a bodega in Claremont at about 11 a.m. on Aug. 14 before grabbing her by the neck and pulling her into an alley.
Police say that's when the suspect put the girl into a headlock, told her he had a gun and raped her.
Massachusetts State Police say that the NYPD found out that Lugo had moved to Springfield -- about 25 miles north of Hartford, Connecticut -- sometime after the attack. It's not clear how long the former Bronx resident had worked at the restaurant.
Meanwhile, the shaken Bronx community is relieved the suspect accused in the rape is off the streets.
"Thank God," Oneida Nadal said. "We were waiting for that."
Authorities add that Lugo was extradited to New York to face rape charges in the case. Attorney information for the man wasn't immediately available.
