Police are investigating three similar sexual assaults that occurred last week and may be related. Two of them took place in Mount Pleasant and the third occurred blocks away in Columbia Heights, police said Sunday evening.

On Wednesday, Aug. 20 around 2 a.m. a woman was walking on Mount Pleasant Street NW when a man tried to talk to her. When she turned onto the 1700 block of Kenyon Street, the suspect put his arms around her and groped her under her clothing.

This past weekend—-on Saturday, Aug. 23—-a woman was walking on the 1300 block of Oak Street NW around 2:30 a.m. when a man with a knife approached her from behind, grabbed her around the neck, and groped her under her clothing. There was a struggle and the woman was stabbed.

The next day, the most recent attack, another women was walking in the alley behind the 1700 block of Park Road a little after 3 a.m. when she noticed a man following her. The suspect placed his arm around her waist and groped her. The woman was able to escape.

All three victims described the suspect or suspects as a Hispanic male in his twenties or thirties. The first woman said her attacker had long hair, the second described a male suspect with short hair wearing a baseball cap, and the third said the man who attacked her had gelled-back black hair.

Two of the women said their attacker was about five feet four inches.

Anyone with information on these cases should call police at (202) 727-9099 or submit information to the text tip line at 50411. There is a $1,000 reward for anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest and conviction.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery