Security guard who spotted accused armed rapist at Safeway speaks out
WASHINGTON - Authorities have revealed new details pertaining to the arrest of the man accused of raping a woman in a Vienna hotel earlier this month.
FOX 5 has learned the suspect wasn't identified until two weeks after the alleged incident took place.
Patrick Locke is now in police custody but the moments before his arrest and the response by police are being questioned by the community.
Locke was arrested at Metro Center Station Tuesday by Metro Transit Police.
He is suspected of raping a woman at gunpoint at the Hawthorn Suites hotel in the 8600 block of Westwood Center Drive in Vienna.
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Just hours before his arrest, Locke was stopped about three miles away.
Tahron Sheffield was working security at the Safeway on Georgia Avenue when he and shoppers spotted a man who appeared to be Locke.
"I called a friend who is a police officer in D.C. and I said ‘I think we have a guy who is an armed rapist in Virginia. He's in the store, and I'm 99% sure it's him. Can you please get here?'" Sheffield recalled.
While he waited for D.C. police to get there, Sheffield said his next thought was to call Fairfax County police.
The Blueline Company security guard said he called several police numbers, including the major crimes bureau line, numerous times.
Sheffield said he got the runaround, and at one point, he was told to leave a message.
"I just left a bunch of voicemails," he said.
When D.C. police arrived they weren't able to arrest Locke because there was no warrant out for his arrest in their system.
"It hurt to see him go because I have a sister, I have a mom," Sheffield said.
Fairfax County police said in a statement that Locke "had not been positively identified by our detectives and no warrants had been obtained at that point."
Shortly after Locke was let go by MPD, he was identified, warrants were obtained, and he was arrested at Metro Center Station around 4 p.m. by transit police.
Sheffield, along with others, wonder why they weren't alerted sooner.
"We could've been walking down the street, and he could've grabbed someone on the street. In the alley or street walking to their apartment," Sheffield said. "Next time, I hope that tapes photos, and images are revealed sooner. Because when you use the community's help, we are able to get people like him off the street."
FOX 5 reached out to Fairfax County police about why the surveillance video of Locke was released two weeks after the incident. They sent us a statement saying it was because detectives were developing and following up on leads, and when those leads were dead ends images were released.
"At the beginning of the investigation, our detectives were combing through leads and furthering the investigation by locating and collecting evidence and conducting interviews," the statement reads. "As the investigation evolved, we released the images in an effort to ID the suspect. With the help of our community and law enforcement partners, a large amount of tips came in that helped lead us to identify Locke as the suspect.
"While detectives were working through those tips, Locke was stopped in D.C. While MPD was in contact with Locke, he had not been positively identified by our detectives and no warrants had been obtained at that point. Shortly after, he had contact with MPD, his identity was positively confirmed. As warrants were being obtained, we were in communication with our regional law enforcement partners in an effort to quickly locate and arrest Locke. Metro Transit Police found Locke and placed him under arrest within a short time of our detectives obtaining the warrants. We are grateful for our regional law enforcement partners who assisted in the swift arrest of Locke."