Location: 5500 block of Columbia Pike, Arlington VA
Time: Approximately 10:36 p.m. on May 22
Arlington County Police have arrested a suspect in connection with a sexual assault investigation that occurred in the Columbia Forest neighborhood late on the evening of May 22.
According to police, officers were dispatched to the 5500 block of Columbia Pike at approximately 10:36 p.m. for a reported assault. Investigators say the female victim was inside the stairwell of a residential parking garage when she encountered the suspect.
Police allege the suspect began speaking with the victim before inappropriately touching her. The victim was able to escape the encounter and sought help from an uninvolved individual entering the parking garage at the time. The suspect then fled the area before officers arrived.
Following an investigation by the Arlington County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit, the suspect was located and taken into custody on the morning of May 25.
Authorities identified the suspect as 25-year-old Cristobal Vasquez Sanchez, who police said has no fixed address. He is currently being held without bond at the Arlington County Detention Facility and faces charges of Sexual Battery and Attempted Object Sexual Penetration.
The investigation remains active. Detectives are asking anyone with additional information related to the incident or prior encounters involving the suspect to contact Detective P. Pena at 703-228-4183 or by email at ppena@arlingtonva.us.