Alexandria Police Investigating Attempted Abduction in Del Ray

Alexandria police are investigating an attempted abduction that occurred Dec. 26 near the intersection of E. Howell and Commonwealth avenues in Del Ray.

At around 2:30 p.m., a 16-year-old female was jogging when a man grabbed her arm and said, “You’re coming with me,” police said.

The 16-year-old escaped the man unharmed and returned home. She and her family then notified the police.

The suspect is described as a black male less than 5-foot-6-inches tall with skinny build and between the age of 35 and 40. The suspect was seen wearing a white shirt, jean jacket and blue jeans as well as a beanie-type cap.

In September, an attempted abduction was reported in the 2000 block of King Street next to the grounds of the George Washington Masonic Memorial.

A 23-year-old female au pair was walking from King Street-Old Town Metro station when a suspect grabbed her from behind, covered her mouth and attempted to pull her over a wall and onto the memorial grounds.

The victim was able to fight off the suspect, who fled the scene on foot southbound on Callahan Drive toward Duke Street, according to police.

Alexandria Police Department spokesperson Ashley Hildebrandt said the two incidents are not believed to be connected, though detectives aren’t ruling that out. Police described the suspect in the King Street abduction attempt as a 5-foot-5 black male seen wearing a ball cap, a black-and-white striped shirt and tan shorts.