A bicyclist rode around Southeast D.C. Monday slapping women’s behinds.
Three women told police a young man riding a red Capital Bikeshare bicycle rode up from behind them and either slapped or grabbed their buttocks.
The first assault took place about 2 p.m. near the U.S. Department of Transportation on New Jersey Avenue SE. About two-and-a-half hours later, a woman was assaulted on Capitol Hill near 11th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Then at about 7 p.m., a woman was attacked on First Street behind Nationals Park.
“Absolutely this is a crime,” Metropolitan Police Department Cmdr. Morgan Kane said. “This is a sexual assault crime, a sexual abuse crime, so we’re treating it as such.”
In addition to a surveillance video of the bicyclist, police hope to identify the bike that was used.
“That is something that we work closely with Capital Bikeshare and all our vendors that have the motorized scooters and so forth when we’re conducting an investigation to try to ascertain who actually rented that bike,” Kane said.
Police believe the culprit is a teenager but say this isn’t a childish prank.
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“No it's not funny, it's not a joke,” Kane said. “It's serious, and it's a crime and we’ll treat it as such.”
