NEW YORK — A man suspected in the death of a woman who was fatally beaten in a New York City hotel room earlier this month has been arrested in Arizona, where police say he is a suspect in two stabbings in recent days.
New York City police officials said at a news conference Tuesday that they want to extradite and arrest 26-year-old Raad Almansoori for the murder of 38-year-old Denisse Oleas-Arancibia. He has not yet been charged.
There were no immediate records of Almansoori’s attorneys in Arizona, and it was not immediately clear whether he had legal representation in New York.
Oleas-Arancibiam was found by staff on the floor of a hotel room in Lower Manhattan on February 8. It was determined that her death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head. A broken iron was found at the scene, police said.
Almansoori was arrested in Arizona on Sunday and later booked on suspicion of attempted murder, aggravated assault and theft of transportation, although no formal charges had been filed as of Tuesday afternoon.
While in custody, he told officers he was wanted for the murder and that they should Google the name of the hotel, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
Hours before the arrest, local police allege he attacked an employee in a bathroom of a McDonald’s restaurant in Surprise, a northwest suburb of metro Phoenix.
They say the suspect entered the women’s restroom, banged on the stall door where the employee was locked behind, climbed under the door, pointed a BB gun at her and stabbed her in the neck at least three times before fleeing.
He was eventually arrested in Scottsdale, where he was reportedly driving a stolen car.
Phoenix police said he is also suspected of stabbing another woman during a robbery a day earlier while armed with a knife and a gun.
New York officials are working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to look for other incidents linked to the suspect in Florida and Texas, where he previously lived and was arrested.
“Everywhere he goes, there’s a chance there are other victims across the country,” said Tarik Sheppard, deputy commissioner for public information.
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Associated Press writer Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix contributed to this report.