Fairfax County (Va.) Police believe a man captured on video surveillance footage may be responsible for cutting the buttocks of five women in retail stores while they are shopping.
Investigators believe the man follows young women into retail stores, cuts them and slips away. Officers responded to the Forever 21 store in Fair Oaks Mall at around 5:30 p.m. on Monday. An 18-year-old suffered a one-and-a-half-inch wound in her buttocks, according to the agency.
The victim was shopping when she noticed clothes that had fallen from a rack behind her. She then saw a man bending down to pick them up. She abruptly felt a sharp pain and believed one of the hangars had struck her. A short time later, she discovered her denim shorts had been slashed. Her buttocks had been cut and were bleeding. Store employees quickly contacted security who summoned police.
Detectives believe the attack may be linked to four others in Fairfax County retail stores since February. The most recent case occurred in a Marshalls at 2:45 p.m June 20 at the Greenbriar Shopping Center.
In each case, the suspect distracts his victim before cutting them. The victims have all been women in their teens or early 20s.
The suspect is described as Hispanic, late 20s, around 5-feet-6-inches tall and heavy set. He wore white shorts and a short-sleeved shirt during the July 25 assault.
