Woman Fends Off Attacker Near Lyon Village Park

A woman was attacked near Lyon Village Park early Saturday morning, the fourth such attack in almost two weeks.

The attack occurred around 2:45 a.m., on the 1900 block of N. Highland Street. Police say the victim was walking home from the bars in Clarendon when a man approached her from behind, put a pillow case over her head and threw her to the ground.

The woman kicked the attacker several times and was able to scream “help,” prompting him to grab the pillow case and run off.

The suspect is described as an either black or Hispanic man, 5’8″ tall with an average build.

Police say the victim did not report the crime until the next morning, making it difficult to track down the suspect.

“We want to emphasize that anyone who’s a victim of a crime should dial 911 immediately,” said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Sternbeck said that the police department is devoting significant resources to investigating this and three other recent attacks on women.

On July 25, a man sexually assaulted a woman near Courthouse; she kicked him in the groin and he fled the scene. On July 31 a woman running alone on the W&OD Trail as grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground; she screamed and her attacker ran off. On Aug. 1 a woman in Buckingham was also grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground; she bit the attacker’s finger and he ran off.

Despite some variance in the suspect descriptions, Sternbeck said detectives are trying to determine whether the attacks may be related.