This Week in Crime: Sexual Assault Near Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride

A 19-year-old woman was sexually assaulted near the Herndon-Monroe Park and Ride garage on Monday afternoon.

A 19-year-old female was sexually assaulted near 12530 Sunrise Valley Drive on Monday, October 5. Around 4 p.m., the victim was with a man she met through an acquaintance. Near the commuter lot, the man convinced her to enter some nearby woods. Once inside the woods, the man sexually assaulted the victim. The suspect fled and the victim summoned police. The victim was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital with minor injuries.

Neither victim or suspect were commuters.

The suspect was described as black, in his 20s, wearing a tan shirt, blue jeans, and a camouflage hat. He was riding a silver bicycle.

Police have since been talking to homeless people who live in the same wooded area (shades of Targetville of yore), though they stress that neither the victim nor the suspect is homeless:

Officers say the public should be concerned because the assault happened at a time when the facility is at its busiest.

"We definitely need folks to tell us..... If he's willing to do it here in the daylight at a commuter lot," said Officer Bud Walker, Fairfax County Police Department. 'We have to be worried about where he might strike next."

The wooded area where the woman was allegedly assaulted is adjacent to the parking garage. Sources say a number of homeless people have made a makeshift camp in the area.

"We don't believe the suspect was part of the homeless camp... And the victim is not part of the homeless camp," said Officer Bud Walker, Fairfax County Police Department.

Authorities spent the night searching the woods and talking to homeless people who may assist them in locating the suspect.