COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Five Colorado Springs residents from Iraq are behind bars, the suspects in a violent sexual assault.
The Colorado Springs Police Department said the alleged sexual assault occured around 1:30 a.m. on July 21 at the Wildridge Apartments.
The apartment complex is located off Lake Avenue and Highway 115, across from the Southgate Shopping Center.
According to police, the victim was checking her mail when she heard a group of men fighting and stepped in to calm them down.
After the fight, investigators said the victim was invited inside an apartment and was given what she believed was lemonade.
They said everything else is a blur.
"We have been investigating this for days and we have five individuals in custody," CSPD Lt. Howard Black said. "All five of them we believe are from Iraq."
Black said the suspects were in the country legally.
Although now, there is the possibility they could eventually be deported.
"That does not complicate things for us," Lt. Black said. "Our focus is trying to identify the suspects in this incident and what actually occured."
Investigators said blood was found in the apartment.
They said the victim suffered significant internal injuries consistent with blunt force trauma, and serious bodily injuries that are rarely seen.
"I have been a police officer for a lot of years, and when I look at the injuries this is one of the more severe sexual assault cases I have been a part of and investigated," Lt. Black said.
Two of the suspects were arrested for sexual assault and accessory to a crime, while the other three were arrested for just accessory.
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