Authorities are still on the trail of the man suspected of assaulting a young woman while waiting for an elevator outside the Tenleytown-AU tube station in July.
The victim, who preferred to use the pseudonym KP, said she was coming home alone from a party on July 3 around 9 pm when she was attacked from behind at the station at 4501 Wisconsin Avenue NW.
“I felt a big blow to the back of my neck. And the next thing I remember, I woke up and I was on the concrete, not being able to move at all. I was lying there, in shock,” she explained.
Some customers from the Wawa store, behind the subway station, found her and quickly called the police.
Once the emergency medical services arrived at the scene, KP said he was repeatedly asked if he “didn’t just fall.”
“I definitely didn’t just fall,” KP replied.
First responders took her to Sibley Memorial Hospital.
“They told the staff at the Sibley that I had fallen,” he recounted. “They put me in a room with a chair and that’s it. And then they left me there for hours, while I screamed and cried. I was throwing up in a trash can because it hurt so much. I was begging and begging them to help me.”
When asked for comment, a spokesperson for Sibley Memorial Hospital said they could not release information about any patient’s care.
After subjecting her to a CT scan, the doctors concluded that she had no brain damage.
“I just had a very bad concussion,” KP said.
About two and a half weeks later, the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) informed KP that they had obtained security camera footage from Chase Bank, located across the street from the subway station.
According to what they told KP, the images “showed a man drinking like a race and hitting me on the back of the head,” the victim said. “You can’t tell exactly what he was holding in his hand; it could have been a stone; it could have been anything.”
Security video also showed the man entering the Wawa after the attack. The Metropolitan Transit Police issued a search warrant with footage that appeared to show the suspect leaving the store carrying food containers.
“The police officer investigating my case had told me they knew who I was in Tenleytown,” KP said in conversation with our sister network NBC Washington on August 24. “They told me that he had hit another woman. They told me about a week ago.”
NBC Washington contacted the Metro Transit Police Department and DC police, but we were unable to obtain confirmation on any other possible reports of assaults involving the same suspect.
Metro Transit Police said that “detectives are working diligently with local partners to obtain an identification of the suspect. Detectives continue to work with active leads in this case.”
“We work closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of all customers, but there are social issues that go beyond Metro. What is happening in Metro is a microcosm of the same issues plaguing our communities and streets that need be approached,” a Metro Transit Police spokesperson wrote in an email to NBC Washington.
MTPD also said it has deployed crisis intervention specialists who work with officers to help people in crisis, including those struggling with mental health issues, substance use or housing insecurity, according to the email. department email.
Asked if she feels safe in the Tenleytown area, KP replied: “Of course not.” She said that she avoids the place “at all costs”.
“Definitely for young women, it’s unfortunate that this is a reality,” she said.
To stay safe, KP recommends “staying alert” and not traveling alone.
Police are referring the case to a prosecutor, which could allow an arrest to take place, according to KP.
KP hopes legal proceedings are underway so that the community can once again feel safe in the Tenleytown area.
“But of course there is no guarantee,” he added.
MTPD encourages anyone who sees something suspicious or witnesses an incident to report it. Customers can text Metro Transit Police at MyMTPD (696873) or call 202-962-2121. In addition, Metro has emergency call buttons in all carriages and inside the stations for emergencies.
2023-09-07 17:03:21
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