IRVINE : Suspect in Rape Case Arrested in Indiana

Police in Indiana have arrested a man wanted by Irvine police in connection with the rape of a 37-year-old woman, authorities said Thursday.

Nasri El-Qadir, 19, was arrested in Highland, Ind., after he crashed a BMW he had stolen from an Irvine family, Irvine Police Sgt. Phil Povey said.

Irvine police had launched a search for El-Qadir after receiving a report that a 37-year-old Illinois woman who was visiting her relatives in the University Park area of Irvine had been raped.

The woman told police that the suspect, who was renting a room from her relatives, awoke her Sunday morning, threatened her with a 10-inch kitchen knife, then raped her in her bedroom.

Police said the suspect stole the family’s beige 1981 BMW and disappeared.

Povey said the suspect was first sighted by police in Lincoln, Neb., but managed to elude officers during a chase.

El-Qadir was arrested when Highland police responded to a report of a one-car crash around 10:25 p.m. Wednesday, Povey said.

Highland police discovered that the car was stolen when they checked the BMW’s California license plate number through the National Crime Computer network.

El-Qadir is being held at the Lake County Jail in Indiana while authorities there process an application for his extradition to California.