A woman was sexually assaulted by a man with a machete on a trail at a popular park in Silver Spring, Maryland, on Tuesday, police said.
Montgomery County police said two women were having lunch when the man robbed them on the Northwest Branch Trail, off of Columbia Pike near Burnt Mills East Park, before 3 p.m.
He then sexually assaulted one of the women before running away, police said.
Then, as the suspect left the scene, he assaulted a man nearby, police said.
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Officers found the suspect a short time later with the help of a Maryland State Police helicopter and a K-9 unit.
Detectives arrested 20-year-old Jose Roberto Hernandez-Penal and charged him with first-degree rape, kidnapping and armed robbery.
News of the assault made Sammi Frey and her mother, who use the trail often, uneasy.
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"[I] come with my friends all the time. We like just sitting on the rocks, and you know, even like at night we’ll just come here and just relax," Frey said. "Now that’s definitely not something I’m going to do anymore."
While the investigation continues, police are doing their best to reassure the public that the attack was an isolated incident and county parks are safe.
“It’s tragic for the victims obviously to have to experience something like this and we feel it. You know, we in park police feel it every time something happens, because we work so hard to maintain that safety. So, it’s tragic to us as well,” Lt. Charles Smith, of the Maryland-National Capital Park Police, said.
The suspect is expected to appear in court Wednesday.
Police believe there could be more victims who Hernandez-Penal has sexually assaulted, and they're asking anyone who believes he assaulted them to call 240-773-5050 or 1-866-411-TIPS.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
