After a violent assault and attempted sexual assault in a George Washington University parking garage earlier this month, D.C. police said Wednesday that they charged a suspect.
Omar Williams, 27, is accused in the assault the evening of Oct. 4.
He allegedly attacked a stranger in a parking garage in the 2000 block of G Street NW, said Leslie Parsons, assistant chief of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Investigative Services Bureau.
“They were very, very serious injuries. This was a brutal assault. Injuries were very serious and required hospitalization,” he said.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
School officials sent students a letter saying a staff member was attacked.
According to court documents, the woman was attacked by a stranger with a nail as she walked to her car. She suffered a cut on her head, and her jaw and teeth were broken.
Police said Williams stole the woman’s phone, keys and wallet and later used her credit card, which led to him being caught.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Police said surveillance footage and information from the community helped crack the case.
Williams was charged with assault with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse while armed and aggravated assault while armed. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
A number of GW students described a tense time on campus knowing that someone violent was at large.
“It was pretty scary because it happened in broad daylight,” one woman said.
Campus police stepped up patrols and reminded students of a safe ride program they run at night.
Police said that after they arrested Williams, they were able to link him to previous crimes of assault, robbery and theft in Northwest D.C. on two previous dates. He was accused of stealing a woman’s purse and attacking someone while robbing a store.
