Accused serial rapist apprehended outside Atlanta

DULUTH, Ga. (AP) - A man accused of raping at least five women inside a vacant apartment outside Atlanta is facing several charges.

Authorities say 23-year-old Joseph Tyler Sivonda was taken into custody at a Duluth apartment on Thursday by Gwinnett County police detectives, sheriff's deputies and U.S. Marshals.

Gwinnett County police Cpl. Jake Smith said Sivonda faces rape, aggravated sodomy and armed robbery charges.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Sivonda is accused of hiring female escorts online and arranging to meet them at an apartment complex northeast of Atlanta. When the women arrived, Sivonda is accused of pulling out a handgun and forcing the women into a vacant unit at the complex, where police say he sexually assaulted them.

Gwinnett County Jail records do not indicate whether he has an attorney.

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