A gunman allegedly attacked, robbed and sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman on the 700 block of West Washington Avenue early Sunday morning.
An African American male armed with a gun approached the victim at approximately 3 a.m., forced her into Brittingham Park and stole her credit card, according to Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain.
Police said in a statement the suspect “threatened, battered, choked and sexually assaulted” the woman.
After the attack, the suspect ran on foot toward John Nolen Drive, according to DeSpain.
The suspect was between 5’9” and 5’10” and 160 to 180 pounds with a “buzzed” hair style, according to the report.
Also on Sunday, an unidentified male suspect robbed another man who was walking alone on the 2300 block of University Avenue.
“In terms of crime...the reality is both of these incidents that occurred Saturday night both appear to be victims walking by themselves alone late at night,” Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said. “That’s when many of these crimes occur.”
This summer the city increased funding to provide more officers in the downtown area on weekend nights. However, the parts of Washington and University Avenues where the incidents occurred are not affected by the Downtown Safety Initiative, according to Verveer.
Police urge anyone with information to contact Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.
