Three police departments from Valley cities joined efforts to identify and arrest a suspect, Mohammad Bishawi, in a 2023 sexual assault case.
On Monday, the 33-year-old Bishawi was taken into custody after DNA samples from two separate investigations were found to match.
According to the Phoenix Police Department, in May of 2023, Phoenix police responded to a report of a woman sexually assaulted in her place of business near 1800 West Thunderbird Road. Bishawi came in for a massage and hid behind a door, taking the woman by surprise. The woman provided a detailed description of the suspect and his vehicle. During the investigation, detectives obtained physical evidence, which was tested by the Phoenix Crime Lab and entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) system as an unknown male profile.
In December of 2024, Gilbert Police began investigating a separate incident in which a woman reported that her ride share driver attempted to sexually assault her. The investigation led to the identification of the suspect and the collection of DNA evidence. Gilbert Police obtained a search warrant to collect DNA samples from the suspect. The Mesa Crime Lab processed the evidence and entered the DNA profile into CODIS. The Mesa Crime Lab got a hit which matched the profile from the 2023 Phoenix case, linking the suspect to both incidents.
The Gilbert Police Department continues to investigate its case.
Following this development, Phoenix detectives presented a photographic lineup to the survivor from the 2023 case, who positively identified Bishawi, as the individual responsible for the assault.
Bishawi was booked on multiple felony charges related to the 2023 Phoenix case. During his initial appearance, he was ordered held on a $500,000 cash bond, with electronic monitoring if released.
Hmm, maybe his cultural upbringing didn’t have respect for women.