WASHINGTON — D.C. police need help identifying and finding a suspect who may be behind five recent cases of groping that took place around Northwest D.C., in the Georgetown and Foggy Bottom areas.
The apparent string of sex offenses started in February, followed by four incidents in April.
The most recent groping victim — the assault occurred just after midnight, early Sunday morning — was a Georgetown University student, according to an alert sent to the school community.
“We’ve had the suspect approach the victims, touch them on their buttocks, then run away from the scene,” said criminal investigator Lt. Jaron Hickman, with the sexual assault unit of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Hickman said the modus operandi is similar in all five attacks:
“We haven’t had any cases of verbal interaction. He’ll conceal his face to make it hard to ID him. In all cases, the subject would appear out of nowhere, do the act, then run away,” he said.
Also in all cases, the assaults were after 11 p.m.
Asked how investigators are likely to solve the case, Hickman stressed victims should alert police right away.
“If you’re unfortunately a victim, it’s important to contact police immediately, so we can get a quick response,” said Hickman. “Pay attention to any descriptors of the subject — what he’s wearing or any physical descriptions.”
In chronological order, here are the times and locations of the five assaults:
- Just before 1 p.m. on Feb. 4, the suspect approached a woman and had sexual contact with her without her permission in the 1900 block of 39th Street Northwest. Police described the suspect as a man wearing a dark-colored hooded jacket and dark-colored jeans.
- Around 11:10 p.m. on April 6, the suspect approached a woman in the 3300 block of N Street Northwest and had sexual contact with her without her permission. Police described the suspect as a light-skinned man with a beard, wearing a gray T-shirt with a hood pulled over his face.
- Around 11:30 p.m. on April 17, the suspect had nonconsensual sexual contact with a woman in the 2400 block of K Street Northwest. Police described the suspect as a man having a light skin complexion and facial hair; his gray hood was pulled over his face.
- Around 11:35 p.m. on April 21, the suspect had sexual contact with a woman without her permission in the 3400 block of O Street Northwest. Police described the suspect as a man with a light skin complexion and brown hair, wearing a hoodie and sweatpants.
- Around 12:30 a.m. on April 22, the suspect had sexual contact with a woman without her permission in the 3500 block of O Street Northwest. Police described the suspect as a white man with gray and black hair, wearing black jogging shorts.
Anyone with information about these cases can call police at 202-727-9099 or text their tip to the tip line at 50411.
Below is a map of the areas where the assaults happened.
