Girl assaulted on the way home from Woodson High School

Police are investigating a report of a 16-year-old girl who was reportedly grabbed in the woods around 4 p.m., Monday, March 19, while walking home from Woodson High School.

The girl had just entered a path at the end of Pickett Road when “a man approached her from behind, grabbed her neck, and assaulted her,” the West Springfield Police District reported. “She struggled and was knocked to the ground. After a brief altercation, the offender fled the scene. The girl screamed and ran to a nearby home for help.”

The suspect is described as between 18 and 27 years old, around 5 feet 8 inches tall, and around 170 pounds. He had short black hair and wore a white T-shirt and shorts.

Braddock Supervisor John Cook announced a community awareness meeting (April 2, 7:30 at Robinson Secondary School) to address concerns about that incident and another recent sexual assault. West Springfield Police Capt. Joe Hill will answer questions from the public.

On March 14, a 24-year-old woman was attacked at about 10 p.m. in a wooded area in the 9700 block of Commonwealth Blvd., Fairfax. A man reportedly threatened her with a knife, sexually assaulted her, and fled the scene. The suspect was described as white, about 5 foot 7 inches. He was wearing a sweatshirt and his face was partially concealed.

Anyone with information about either attack is asked to contact Crime Solvers, 866/411-TIPS/8477, text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637, or call Fairfax County Police at 703/691-2131.

Update: On March 21 the police released a photo (above) and additional details on the March 19 incident. The suspect is between the ages of 20 and 40, thin, and around 170 pounds. He is believed to have been driving a white, four-door Honda Accord, early 2000s model. Hills says the two attacks do not appear to be related.

2 responses to “Girl assaulted on the way home from Woodson High School”

Anonymous says:

March 25, 2012 at 4:12 pm

hmm well considering the video of the perp shows a man jogging away from the scene of the crime an hour and a half before the crime was committed and doesn't appear to be trying to get away in a hurry id say you can scratch that image and start over.

Anonymous says:

March 28, 2012 at 8:19 pm

If we want our children to have safe routes to school we need to build complete streets, with sidewalks integrated with them – wooded side paths are a problematic alternative.

2 responses to “Girl assaulted on the way home from Woodson High School”

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