NEW DETAILS: CSU rape suspect had prior attempted murder arrest in South Carolina shooting
The man accused of raping a Columbus State University student in a downtown parking deck last week has a history of prior arrests in South Carolina.
Hosni Batebawia, 20, was arrested Sept. 26, 2025, after CSU officials say he sexually assaulted a student in a city-owned parking deck near the RiverPark campus. He was taken into custody following a high-speed chase on Linwood Boulevard and is charged with rape, aggravated sexual battery, aggravated assault, and hijacking a motor vehicle.
Records show Batebawia had been released from the Muscogee County Jail just hours before the attack. CNAW2News reported earlier today how Batebawia had served a year on charges stemming from an October 2024 arrest at the Blackmon Road Walmart, where police said he exposed himself to employees and later to officers. He was also accused of giving false names and threatening to stab an officer before being restrained at the jail.
Image: WBTW News 13
Before his arrest in Columbus, Batebawia was taken into custody in Horry County, South Carolina, in October 2023 after a shooting that left one person hospitalized. He was 17 at the time and charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Image: WMBF News
The victim’s condition in last week’s CSU assault has not been released. University officials say the case remains under investigation.
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