Atlanta, January 21: In another shocking incident of sexual assault in the United States, a woman in her twenties was raped at the Opera Nightclub in Atlanta. The incident, reported on January 19, was filmed on a Facebook Live video recorded through the victim's social media account. The clip was shared on Twitter and YouTube as well, with the combined views crossing more than 5,00,000.

The Atlanta Police Department issued a statement, claiming that it has taken cognizance of the case and launched an inquiry into it. The investigation was initiated after it received several calls and emails of people red-flagging the video of assault going viral on social media. Indian American Doctor From Texas Found Guilty of Raping Sedated Patient Gets No Jail Time.

Singer Bebe Rexha condemned the incident and expressed solidarity with the woman who was subjected to the horror. She posted a screengrab of the video in which the alleged rapist could be seen.

"She was crying and saying help me and NO repeatedly. Out of Respect I will not share the video. But here is a picture of the man that raped her (sic)," Rexha said on Twitter. Below is the image of the suspect:

The preliminary inquiry of the Atlanta Police has found that the victim was drugged before being raped. The accused, identified in the video clip, was seen dancing with her before committing the sexual assault.

Based on the biography details shared by the victim on her Facebook page, she has been identified as a native of East St. Louis, Illinois, and now lives in Atlanta.

Following the incident, she uploaded a series of FB posts -- asking her friends, well-wishers and media personnel not to approach her for the next few days. "Please no calls/text I’m still gathering myself please," she wrote.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 21, 2019 11:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).