Fairfax County Police believe that a series of assaults in the Fairfax and Vienna areas are related. The latest assault occurred Sunday, Sept. 10, around 11:40 p.m. According to a police release, a 26-year-old Fairfax-area woman was walking in the 3300 block of Willow Crescent Drive when a man came up from behind and pulled the woman's shorts down. The woman screamed and the suspect fled the scene. He was described as a Hispanic male in his 20s, about 5 feet 4 inches and weighing between 130 and 150 pounds. He was wearing a white T-shirt and dark pants.
Officer Richard Henry, Fairfax County police spokesman, said the proximity of the attacks to each other, as well as the similarity in victims' descriptions of their assailant and the types of attack, led police to conclude they were all perpetrated by the same person.
Two previous attacks occurred Aug. 24, around 7:30 a.m., during the morning rush hour near the Vienna-Fairfax Metro station. According to police reports, a man matching the above description grabbed one woman's shorts, and came up behind another woman and groped her. Another assault occurred Aug. 30, in the 2600 block of Glengyle Drive in the Vienna area, around 9:30 p.m. The suspect in that case also attempted to pull down a woman's shorts.
Police are recommending that residents be alert to their surroundings, walk in pairs or groups and call police if they see anything unusual, said Henry. Anyone who recognizes the suspect, or anyone with information about the incidents, should call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), or the police non-emergency number at 703-691-2131.