Police offer more details on actions of fugitive

Police search for Assaye in Annandale. [James Lawler Duggan/Reuters]

The Fairfax County Police Department has released more details on the efforts to catch fugitive Wossen Assaye March 31 in Annandale. 

Assaye, a convicted bank robber, had been under the watch of two contracted security guards at Inova Fairfax Hospital on Gallows Road. Shortly after 3 a.m., he overtook one of the guards, stole her handgun, and fled down a stairway. The other guard was unable to stop him and fired a shot during the altercation, but no one was injured.

Police officers worked with hospital staff to local down the hospital and surrounding areas and began sharing information to the public via Twitter, as police from other jurisdictions joined the search for Assaye.

Police were called to the 7100 block of Cindy Lane in Annandale for the report of a stolen car. It appears Assaye was hidden in the car of an unsuspecting female resident of the 8400 block of Hayden Lane near Fairfax Hospital. The victim left for work at approximately 6:45 a.m. While traveling to work, the suspect appeared in the rear seat of the victim’s car. The victim was startled, lost control of her car, and crashed into a parked car. She jumped from the vehicle and ran for assistance. Assaye then stole her car and fled.

A short time later, the stolen car was located in the garage of an unoccupied home in the 6900 block of Oak Court in Annandale. According to NBC Channel 4 News, Assaye broke into an unoccupied house on Oak Court owned by Lorraine Giovinazzo and exchanged his hospital gown for some of her old clothes.

The suspect fled. Moments later, a stolen vehicle was reported in the 6900 block of Cherry Lane, and officers determined Assaye took that vehicle by force and fled. A multitude of law enforcement officers continued to saturate the area looking for the suspect and the second stolen car.

Shortly after 11 a.m., an alert resident in Washington, D.C., saw the suspect on a commuter bus and notified police. Metropolitan Police located Assaye in the area of 25th Street SE and Pennsylvania Avenue SE. He was taken into custody without incident. The handgun taken from the security officer was recovered inside the first stolen vehicle.

Fairfax County Police Chief Col. Edwin Roessler Jr. commended the efforts of community residents, locally and in Washington, D.C., for providing vital information to police throughout the day, as well as the efforts of local and federal law enforcement agencies in capturing Assaye. 

Assaye was charged with escape from custody, a federal crime. Additional charges are expected in the coming days as Fairfax County detectives continue their investigation and will work with the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office and the Eastern District of Virginia Federal Prosecutor’s Office.