Police say victim forced into vehicle, sexually assaulted in Northwest DC

WASHINGTON - Police are searching for a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in the Shaw neighborhood of Northwest D.C. over the weekend.

D.C. police say a woman walking down 11th Street around the corner from Mount Vernon Square was kidnapped at knifepoint and forced into an unknown car.

The suspect then drove the victim to a residential area on 5th Street less than a mile away from where he abducted her. Police say he forced her to perform a sex act and then robbed her.

"There's just been a real uptick in incidents," said one resident we spoke with. "We've noticed that it started in the spring and just continued through the fall."

Neighbors here on 5th Street say they are on the verge of starting up a neighborhood watch after a string of violent crimes outside their doorsteps.

Police say the victim and the suspect were not known to each other.

The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 6' tall, 200 pounds, in his early 30s, with small eyes, a bald head and a mustache.

Police say he was wearing a gray hoodie, light blue jeans and was driving a white minivan.

Anyone who has information regarding this case should call police at 202-727-9099.