A suspect has been arrested over an alleged sexual attack in the stairwell of a Columbia Pike parking garage.
Police are seeking other possible victims as the suspect, a 25-year-old of “no fixed address,” faces charges of sexual battery and attempted object sexual penetration.
He is accused of approaching the female victim around 10:36 p.m. on Friday night at the 5500 block of Columbia Pike.
“The suspect engaged her in conversation before touching her inappropriately,” the Arlington County Police Department said in a press release. “The victim was able to get away from the suspect and sought assistance from an uninvolved individual as they entered the parking garage. The suspect then fled the scene.”
The suspect was located on Monday morning and taken into custody. He is next scheduled to appear in court on July 9, according to online records.
The complete ACPD press release is below.
The Arlington County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit is announcing the arrest of a suspect in a sex crimes investigation which occurred in the Columbia Forest neighborhood on the evening of May 22, 2026. Cristobal Vasquez Sanchez, 25, of No Fixed Address is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility on charges of Sexual Battery and Attempted Object Sexual Penetration.
At approximately 10:36 p.m. on May 22, police were dispatched to the 5500 block of Columbia Pike for the report of an assault. The preliminary investigation indicates the female victim was inside the stairwell of a residential parking garage when she encountered the suspect. The suspect engaged her in conversation before touching her inappropriately. The victim was able to get away from the suspect and sought assistance from an uninvolved individual as they entered the parking garage. The suspect then fled the scene. The suspect was later located on the morning of May 25 and taken into custody.
This remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone who has additional information related to this investigation or has had past inappropriate encounters with the suspect is asked to contact Detective P. Pena at 703-228-4183 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
