Crime
28-Year-Old Wynton Qushawn Rice Charged with Raping Woman at Knifepoint in Tuscaloosa Parking Deck Restroom
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A 28-year-old Tuscaloosa man has been arrested and formally charged in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a 52-year-old woman in the early morning hours of Saturday at a downtown parking facility.
According to court records made public this week, Wynton Qushawn Rice has been charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, and second-degree assault.
The victim reported to authorities that she was using the restroom at the Tuscaloosa Transit Authority parking deck between 4:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. when an unknown man, later identified as Rice, forced his way into her bathroom stall while armed with a knife.
The victim told investigators that the suspect demanded sex and physically assaulted her, causing a laceration to one of her fingers.
She stated that Rice initially attempted to rape her within the small stall but was unsuccessful due to space constraints.
He then forced her to move to a larger, handicap-accessible stall, where he allegedly raped her and compelled her to perform oral sex.
Charging documents indicate that surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed Rice entering the women’s restroom at 4:02 a.m. and exiting approximately 26 minutes later.
During an interview with detectives, Rice reportedly provided inconsistent statements. Initially, he claimed he had never been at the location.
He later said he had entered the bathroom but was confronted and forced to leave by a woman inside.
Eventually, he admitted to remaining in the restroom but denied having any sexual contact, stating he was only using the facilities.
Later in the interview, Rice told detectives he encountered a woman he knew only by a nickname and offered her all the cash he had—$3—in exchange for oral sex.
He claimed she agreed and performed the act.
Rice was taken into custody on Sunday and booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail. On Wednesday, a judge set his bond at $100,000.
The investigation is ongoing.
Authorities have not disclosed whether additional charges may be filed.
Crime
Venezuelan national Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis shot in the leg by an immigration agent in Minneapolis
On January 14, 2025, federal law enforcement personnel were engaged in a targeted enforcement operation involving Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national who has been present in the United States since 2022.
The operation escalated into a high-speed pursuit, a physical confrontation, and an ambush by multiple subjects, necessitating the use of a defensive firearm discharge by a federal agent.
At approximately 6:50 PM, federal officers initiated a targeted traffic stop of a vehicle operated by Sosa-Celis.
The subject refused to comply with law enforcement commands and attempted to flee the scene.
During the pursuit, the subject’s vehicle collided with a stationary, parked car.
Following the collision, the subject abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene on foot.
A federal agent pursued the suspect on foot and successfully intercepted him. As the agent attempted to effect an arrest, the subject became combative, resulting in a violent struggle on the ground.
During this confrontation, two additional male subjects emerged from a nearby residence to intervene.
These individuals reportedly ambushed the agent, utilizing a snow shovel and a broom handle to strike the officer.
The situation escalated when the primary suspect, Sosa-Celis, regained his footing and joined the two additional subjects in the assault.
Reports indicate the suspect struck the agent with a blunt object (identified as either the shovel or broom handle).
Citing an immediate threat to his life while being outnumbered and actively assaulted by three individuals, the agent discharged his service weapon in self-defense.
The discharge struck Sosa-Celis in the lower extremity (leg). Following the shot, all three suspects retreated into a nearby apartment complex and initiated a barricade situation.
Following a brief standoff, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) successfully secured the perimeter and apprehended all three individuals without further injury.
Both the federal agent and Sosa-Celis were transported to a local medical facility for treatment.
Images from the scene showed Sosa-Celis conscious and alert during transport.
All three subjects involved in the assault are currently in the custody of ICE.
Further charges related to the assault on a federal officer and resisting arrest are pending review by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.