Man Charged With First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct in Minneapolis
Hennepin County Jail Booking Photo
Published: August 5th, 2026.
MINNEAPOLIS: A man is facing two felony counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct after prosecutors allege he forced an adult woman into his vehicle at gunpoint before sexually assaulting her in Minneapolis.
According to a criminal complaint, Octavio Torres Candia, 24, is charged with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct while armed with a dangerous weapon or an article fashioned to appear as one, and one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving force causing personal injury. Both charges stem from an incident alleged to have occurred on Aug. 1, 2026, in Hennepin County.
According to the complaint, Minneapolis police officers responded shortly before midnight to the report of a sexual assault in an alley near the 2400 block of Chicago Avenue South. Officers located an adult woman who appeared to be in significant distress.
The complaint alleges the woman had been walking home when a man stopped his vehicle near 31st Street and 10th Avenue South and asked if she was okay. Prosecutors allege the man then displayed a weapon, forced her into his vehicle, and drove her to another location in Minneapolis, where the alleged assault occurred.
The complaint contains graphic allegations describing the assault. Those details have been omitted to protect the privacy of the alleged victim. Court records allege the woman resisted throughout the encounter until nearby residents heard her calls for help and intervened.
According to the complaint, a witness told police she and another person noticed a suspicious vehicle parked in a dark area and heard a woman calling for help. The witness reported seeing a man attacking the woman inside the vehicle before the woman was pushed from the vehicle and the driver fled the area.
The complaint states the alleged victim's cellphone had been left inside the suspect's vehicle. Using the phone's location, police tracked it to Richfield, where officers located and stopped the vehicle.
According to prosecutors, Torres Candia admitted to police, "I did this," and claimed he believed the woman was a prostitute. The complaint states he acknowledged having a replica handgun in the vehicle but denied pointing it at the alleged victim.
Investigators also allege officers recovered the alleged victim's cellphone and shoe from inside the vehicle. A search of the vehicle reportedly located a black 4.5 mm BB gun that resembled a real handgun.
The alleged victim was transported to a hospital for a forensic examination, according to the complaint.
Torres Candia remains in custody. The allegations contained in the criminal complaint are accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.