Updated: Oct. 20, 2021 at 7:41 p.m.
The Metropolitan Police Department arrested 27-year-old Omar Williams Tuesday in connection to the G Street Garage assault earlier this month.
A GW staff member suffered serious injuries after the incident in the G Street Garage on Oct. 4. MPD announced at a press conference in Kogan Plaza Wednesday that Williams has been charged with assault with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse while armed and aggravated assault while armed.
Williams, who MPD said had no fixed address, was also charged with robbery, simple assault and theft in connection with two other off-campus incidents.
GW Police Department Chief James Tate said GWPD has not interacted with Williams before and that the assault was a crime of opportunity rather than a targeted attack on a University employee.
Some students criticized the University’s communication about the assault, saying they were frustrated that officials only confirmed the intent to commit sexual abuse 18 hours after MPD tweeted the full details of the suspect’s criminal charges.
Leslie Parsons, an assistant chief with MPD, said at a press conference Wednesday that video of the assault and tips from the public led to yesterday’s arrest.
“I’d like to thank all the members of the community that came forward that provided information in this case,” Parsons said. “These cases we can’t close alone, we count on the community to be a strong partner, and they were definitely a strong partner in this case.”
An arrest warrant filed in D.C. Superior Court Wednesday states the victim of the assault saw Williams attempting to break into a nearby car on the P3 level of the garage before he noticed and approached her. The documents state Williams threatened the victim with a long nail while telling her to give him oral sex.
The victim tried to flee the area but was assaulted by the suspect, sustaining a serious laceration on her head, a broken jaw and broken teeth, according to the warrant. The warrant states Williams stole the victim’s phone, keys and wallet, which included a credit card that Williams was seen using in surveillance footage after the assault.
“The suspect used physical force and violence to overpower the complainant, and he prevented the complainant from leaving the scene,” the warrant reads. “The complainant fought back and during the struggle, the complainant suffered a serious laceration to her head, both sides of her jaw were broken and broken teeth.”
The warrant states police identified Williams as the main suspect after the victim picked his picture out of a photo lineup.
In another document filed after William’s arrest, police say Williams agreed to speak with detectives and admitted to punching the victim twice, but he denied accusations that he attempted to sexually abuse her. Williams said he pulled the victim’s phone away from her after she said she was calling the police, which caused her to fall and hit her head before he punched her, according to the summary of his interview with police.
Upon questioning from MPD officers, Williams claimed he was friends with the owner of the car that he was robbing, but he could not identify the car’s owner. The defendant also admitted to changing his clothes in the elevator after punching the victim and using her credit cards in McDonald’s and Marshall’s, according to the document.
“The defendant acknowledged that the complainant was bleeding,” the document reads. “The defendant stated that he took the complainant’s phone and small-sized purse.”
Tate sent an email to the GW community Wednesday, announcing the arrest and thanking MPD detectives and GWPD officers for conducting the investigation.
“The George Washington University Police Department would like to thank the Metropolitan Police Department and our own detectives for working so diligently to identify this suspect,” the email reads. “We also want to thank the GW community for their patience and support with the investigation.”
