Sketch of suspect in Beacon Street assault released

On Monday,
April 21, 2014, during the early morning hours, a woman reported to the
Somerville Police that she was the victim of an assault near the 300 block of
Beacon Street.  She had departed the
Porter Square MBTA Station and was walking alone on Beacon Street when her
attacker grabbed her from behind and made an attempt to force her into a nearby
alley.  The victim was able to scream and
fend off her attacker.  The victim
described her attacker as a thin black male, in his 30’s, 6-00, clean shaven,
and wearing dark clothing. 

This incident is
similar to an assault that was reported in Cambridge last week. On Wednesday, April
16, 2014, a woman reported to Cambridge Police that a man assaulted her after she
too departed from the Porter Square MBTA Station and was walking home in
Cambridge on Richdale Ave. Whether or not one suspect may be responsible for
both incidents remains under investigation.

“Police will
be diligent in their investigative efforts to identify, apprehend, and
prosecute the individual who is responsible for this incident,” said Somerville
Police Chief Charles Femino. “If anyone has any information or sees anything
suspicious, we encourage you to report it immediately to Somerville Police.”

The
Somerville Police would like to remind pedestrians of the following safety
precautions, while reaffirming that no victim is ever to blame for the actions
of an attacker. These measures promoted widely by crime prevention experts may
simply help you reduce your risk of any type of crime from robbery to assault:

·        
Be
aware of your surroundings

·        
Avoid
wearing ear buds or headphones in both ears, especially while walking alone

·        
If
possible, avoid poorly lit or isolated areas

·        
If
you feel you are being followed, show you are suspicious by turning and looking
directly at the person

·        
If
someone is following you, change your direction or cross the street and call
911 immediately

·        
Try
to remember descriptive information about the person you believe is following
you to report to the police

Somerville Police
detectives are actively
investigating this incident. If anyone has any information regarding this
incident, please contact the Somerville Police Criminal Investigation Division at
617-625-1600, extension 7237. 

If you are a victim
of a past sexual assault that has or has not been reported to the police for
any reason, the Somerville Police Department strongly encourages contacting the
Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) at the Cambridge office at 617.492.8306,
at the 24-hour hotline 800.841.8371, by (TTY) 617.492.6434.  Si usted habla español, porfavor llamenos al
800.223.5001 ó TTY 888.887.7130.  If you
want to learn more about the services BARCC has to offer victims of sexual
violence you can visit their website at www.barcc.org.     

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