Penn Tower suspect arrested

Larry Ray was arrested for assault and burglaries in the Penn Tower Hotel. University Police arrested a Philadelphia man yesterday for the bloody January 19 assault of a Health System secretary inside her Penn Tower Hotel office. Officers arrested Larry Ray, 28, of the 1500 block of Hemberger Street, as he cleaned the basement of a fraternity house on the 3900 block of Spruce Street at about 10:15 a.m. yesterday, University Police Det. Commander Tom King said. Police believe Ray, who works for a local cleaning contractor, assaulted Toby Laiken, 53, after she entered her Cancer Center office on the sixth floor of the Penn Tower last month. Laiken --Ewho suffered serious wounds to the lower jaw and eye socket -- was released from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania January 27. "You could hear a collective whoop over at the Penn Tower," King said of the arrest. Ray was charged with five offenses, including aggravated assault and burglary. As of late last night, he was awaiting arraignment at the Philadelphia Police Department's 18th District headquarters at 55th and Pine streets. A joint force of detectives from University Police and the Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detectives bureau began "focusing in" on Ray as the primary suspect more than a week ago, University Police Det. Patricia Brennan said. Police believe Ray entered the hotel at about 4:15 a.m. with the intent of burglarizing offices in the building. He allegedly used the service elevator to reach the fourth, seventh and eighth floors, where he burglarized several offices. Then he went to the sixth floor, police said. Laiken was just coming to work at about 5:15 a.m. when she noticed that a door near the service elevator was open, police said. She spotted the suspect entering a doctor's office, police said. Ray walked down the hall and allegedly proceeded to brutally assault Laiken while she sat at her desk. Police believe that the suspect slammed her head against the desk several times. After she made a strained phone call to her husband, a Physical Plant employee working in the Franklin Building Annex at 36th and Sansom streets, Penn Tower security and Philadelphia and University Police discovered Laiken and rushed her to HUP. She was released after undergoing surgery to her lower jaw. Ray has been arrested seven times previously for offenses including aggravated assault, robbery and burglary, University Police Det. William Danks said. It was unclear last night whether any of the arrests resulted in convictions. "This is the quintessential example of cooperation between Philadelphia and University Police," King said of the 21-day investigation, which was conducted primarily by Brennan and Danks, two senior investigators with a combined experience of 35 years as detectives. Det. Chris Lee of Southwest Detectives assisted in the investigation. Danks and Brennan joined University Police in 1996.