A sex assault suspect was apprehended after an afternoon manhunt around Westfield Wheaton mall.
The suspect was arrested near the mall's JC Penney about 5 p.m. Thursday.
Montgomery County Police have been investigating two recent incidents at the Wheaton Metro parking garage and another at the mall's parking garage over the past week.
Thursday afternoon, a woman in a neighborhood behind the mall reported that she was assaulted and almost kidnapped in the area of Brunswick and McComas avenues, prompting a manhunt in the area.
The victim positively identified the suspect.
Police also recovered a firearm from him.
"There's a natural question about whether he might be related to some previous events of the same nature that occurred here in the last 10 days," Capt. Paul Starks said. "Right now, we can't positively link him to those, but of course that is one thing detectives are going to work toward, whether they can link him or rule him out. But for now, we do have a suspect in custody and a firearm off the street."
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In the two separate Metro garage incidents on Monday and Wednesday, a gunman approached women and asked them to perform a sex act. In Monday evening's incident, the woman was able to get in her car, lock it and get away without injury. Wednesday night, the assault continued until a passerby scared away the assailant.
On Dec. 2, a woman had reported seeing a man with a gun in the Wheaton mall garage.
