Strangers raped two women on successive days at Metro Transit light-rail stations last week. Video surveillance led to arrests and charges this week.

Shortly after 10:30 p.m. Friday, surveillance images from the Franklin Avenue station in Minneapolis showed a "clearly physically helpless" woman being raped by Lee A. Lenoir, 45, of Minneapolis, according to the criminal complaint in Hennepin County District Court.

Police interrupted the attack, the complaint continued. The victim, 39, was taken to a hospital in a "completely incoherent" state and authorities determined she was extremely intoxicated, the charging document continued.

The surveillance video showed Lenoir and the woman sharing vodka at the station. Lenoir contended that the woman was his girlfriend, the charges read, but was unable to provide police with her name.

Lenoir's criminal history in Minnesota includes many convictions for various lower-level crimes such as drunken driving, disorderly conduct, drinking in public, drug possession, indecent exposure and fleeing police.

At 1:35 a.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to the 28th Avenue light rail station in Bloomington and located a woman with a bruised cheek and red marks on one eye and her chest, according to a complaint filed against Javed M. Mobin, 25, of St. Paul.

Lenoir

The woman told police she was there to sleep for the night when Mobin asked to do the same alongside her. She told him to leave, but he covered her mouth and threatened to kill her, the court filing continued. He then sexually assaulted her until someone passed by, sending Mobin fleeing.

Police identified Mobin from the video and found him at a St. Paul homeless shelter. Mobin's criminal history in Minnesota includes convictions for promoting prostitution and assault.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482