Woman raped while she was placing items into her car in Arlington, police say

ARLINGTON, Va. - Arlington police say a woman was raped while putting items into her car Thursday night near the busy Shirlington entertainment district.

Officials say a call to 911 came in at 10:41 p.m. from a woman saying she had been approached from behind and sexually assaulted outside of her car nearby a bus stop at the corner of S. Randolph Street and 31st Street S. Officers descended on the area.

"Our officers did canvass the area," said Arlington County Police spokesperson Ashley Savage. "We used K-9 to track the area as well as assistance from the Fairfax County helicopter unit to search the area. The canvass of the area for the suspect was negative."

Police say the suspect fled the area on foot, heading southbound on 31st Street S.

The suspect has been described as a black male in his 20s, around 5'6" to 6' tall with a thin build. He was wearing a white t-shirt at the time of the assault.

The female victim was taken to the hospital for treatment, according to police.

Although this area can be very busy during the day, police say there were no apparent witnesses at the time of the attack. The only surveillance camera in the area appeared to be mounted on the underside of an overhang at the bus stop. It is unclear if it captured the assault.

This alleged rape comes about five months after a woman was raped by a man who entered her building on Key Boulevard and got her to open her door after posing as a maintenance worker. Although investigators found clear video of the suspect, he has still not been identified.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Detective N. Brooks of the Arlington County Police Department's Special Victim's Unit at 703-228-4169 or by email at NKbrooks@arlingtonva.us. Anonymous tips can be left with Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866-411-TIPS (8477).