Cleveland Indians hat recovered from one of the attack scenes. (LVMPD)LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
Las Vegas Metro police believe a single suspect is responsible for two recent sexual assaults in the area.
Detectives addressed the media Thursday afternoon regarding the incidents.
The first assault happened Sunday, April 15 at Vegas Drive and Tonopah Drive. Police say a 50-year-old woman was physically and sexually assaulted in a desert area at about 2 a.m. It began with the man stalking her on the street.
"She sees the suspect now gaining ground on her and begins to run," said Metro Lt. Rob Lundquist. "He runs behind her and chases her, grabs her, and physically pulls her into the desert area. A very violent act. He takes her to the ground of the desert area, assaults her, and this actually becomes a sexual assault."
The second assault took place on Monday, April 23 in the area of Rancho Drive and Bonanza Road. Police say a woman was physically assaulted and it would have turned into a sexual assault had she not fought her attacker off.
"We are concerned that this is a predator out there, a violent predator, that's going to continue on with this," Lt. Lundquist said.
Police say there are numerous similarities in the attacks and it's believed it was the same attacker in both instances. The suspect is described as a black male, between 5'5" and 5'8", in his early 20s. Police recovered a Cleveland Indians baseball cap at the scene of one of the assaults.
If you have any information on either of these attack or the suspect, you're urged to call Metro's Sexual Assault Section at (702)-828-3307 or Crime Stoppers at (702)-385-5555.
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