Arlington County police are seeking more victims of a teen identified as a suspect after a string of groping incidents.
The incidents happened in and around the Courthouse area this past fall and involved women being grabbed from behind in a sexual manner by an unknown suspect. One involved a woman walking her dog in Courthouse on Nov. 28 and another involved a woman walking or running on the Arlington Blvd Trail on Dec. 7.
So far, police say they have only charged the teen with an incident on Nov. 29 when a female jogger was grabbed from behind. They’re now trying to determine a link to the other incidents and putting out a call for more potential victims to come forward.
More, below, from a just-issued ACPD press release.
The Arlington County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit is investigating an Arlington teen after he was charged with assaulting a woman running along the Arlington Boulevard trail.
At approximately 3:05 p.m. on November 29, the female victim was running in the 2000 block of Arlington Boulevard when the male suspect approached from behind, grabbed her buttocks and continued running. In January 2023, detectives identified the 17-year-old male suspect and obtained a petition for Assault and Battery. In accordance with Virginia Code, the identity of the juvenile suspect is not releasable.
Similar incidents were reported in the Clarendon-Courthouse and Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights neighborhoods in November and December 2022 and detectives continue to investigate the suspect’s possible involvement in these incidents. Based on the preliminary investigation, detectives believe there may be additional incidents that have not been reported to police. Anyone who may have experienced a similar incident is asked to contact Detective C. Mulrain at 703-228-4194 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).