Woman Beaten, Raped Behind Townhouse In Manassas
POSTED: 10:10 pm EDT July 20, 2007
UPDATED: 11:44 pm EDT July 20, 2007
MANASSAS, Va. -- Police said an 18-year-old woman was raped in Manassas last Saturday morning. They said she was beaten and then sexually assaulted around 1:45 a.m. while waiting for her boyfriend on Buckner Road.
The victim said a man approached her from behind, grabbed her neck and dragged her behind a row of townhouses.She said she was punched repeatedly and then raped.
"You just need to know where your kids are and you need to keep them off the streets because you can't trust people nowadays," Buckner Road resident Karen Robinson said.
The assault did not end until three men walking through the area witnessed the attack and her attacker ran, she said. Police were then called.
The attack was the latest crime on the road, which has had a series of problems.
Last year, neighbors said a man was killed on Buckner Road. Neighbors said police are a common fixture in the area.
Candy Savannah ran the neighborhood watch program for years."I think it was an opportune moment for that element, he found the young lady and I am so sad, I really am," Savannah said.
With no solid leads and a vague description of the suspect, police said they are counting on neighbors for help.
Neighbors said it was a brutal crime that has left them all on edge.
"I have a niece and she's only 17 and we worry about her going just from one little cubby hole on this side to the other side," Buckner Road resident Linda Jackson said.
Police said they want to speak with the three men who saw the attack. They do not know their identities.
Police are offering a $1,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest.
