Woman Attacked, Sexually Assaulted After Leaving Work
UPDATE | August 19, 2017, 5:50PM - Fort Worth police said Saturday afternoon the suspect has been captured.
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Attacked and sexually assaulted on a downtown Fort Worth sidewalk, police want to find the man responsible for blindsiding a woman after she left work.
"When he passed her, he just turned around and ambushed her," said Detective Kerry Adcock. "It was very violent, it was very fast, it was out in the open."
The predator is someone police said they believe could strike again. Police describe him as a black male in his 20s, 6 feet 1 – 6 feet 2 inches tall, with a thin build.
The attack happened shortly before 3 a.m. on the sidewalk near a local club in Fort Worth on Sunday, August 6 at 2:45 a.m.
"It is a little scary especially walking back and forth on my own," said Sylvia Mendoza, who lives in downtown. "(I'm) kind of nervous now."
Adcock said after the man attacked, security cameras show him running north to West 4th Street, then east to Lamar and north to West 3rd Street. From there he ran east in front of the public library and turned north onto Taylor Street.
Investigators said victims know their attackers in 90 percent of sexual assault cases. But they believe this case was random.
"We don't want to give him any more opportunities," said Adcock.
Fort Worth Police call the victim "brave" for helping spend hours to create a composite sketch.
"She wanted to do it to try to catch the guy," said Adcock.
Fort Worth Police said they have additional video that seems to show the attacker running away but they aren't releasing it right now. They ask business owners in the area to check their surveillance footage, too.
Additionally, anyone with information about the sexual assault or suspect should call 817-392-4359.
