TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma police have released new evidence in a brazen attack last month. Police said as a woman walked to her car a man came up behind her, hit her in the head with a gun and sexually assaulted her. The attack happened just before 6 a.m. on March 22 near South Ninth Street and South L Street.
A man who lives across the street from where the attack happened told KIRO 7 that the park where that intersection is can get pretty noisy at times, but he knew the woman’s screams sounded different.
“I was in the house, and I heard someone scream, ‘Help! Help! He’s killing me!’” Eddie Johnson explained.
The sounds stood out from the usual noise Johnson said he hears from the direction of People’s Park.
“You hear people screaming, arguing. I heard a group of them arguing a while back,” Johnson said. “But this one was different because she was saying, ‘Help! He’s killing me!’”
Tacoma police said during the attack the suspect came up behind the woman, hit her in the head with a gun, threw her to the ground and sexually assaulted her. He also took her cellphone. Johnson said by the time he made it to his porch, the attack was over and the suspect was gone.
“I saw her standing there. She was shaking, you could tell. Then she got in her car and left,” Johnson said.
Wendy Haddow, public information officer for the Tacoma Police Department, said a passing car who saw the attack unfold intervened.
“We are thankful someone drove by and not just drove by but stopped and said something, or this could have been very different,” Haddow said.
Police have now released a sketch and stills from security footage of the man they believe is behind the attack. It’s an effort to get any information on who he is, before he tries again.
“It would be very unusual for someone to start this kind of activity at this level. Because it’s one of those outliers where we’re afraid the suspect will potentially look for more victims, we are asking the public for any information on this crime,” Haddow said.
Police also ask people nearby with security cameras to give them another look for any footage of the suspect or attack. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8497 (TIPS).
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