Community Corner

Police Search for Men Who Approached Women, Girls in Friendship Heights, Silver Spring

A young woman was followed by a man in a minivan and on foot in Chevy Chase, Md. police said.

Chevy Chase Village police and Montgomery County police issued an alert Wednesday about several incidents involving men approaching young girls and women in Chevy Chase and Silver Spring neighborhoods. DC Metropolitan Police Department Second District Commander Michael Reese shared the alert with DC residents and said MPD  is working with Maryland authorities to help identify the suspect.

The latest incident happened near Kirkside Drive and Grove Street in Chevy Chase, Md. at 7 p.m. Tuesday, when a young woman said a man followed her in a minivan, shone a flashlight on her and then began walking quickly towards her. Hours before, in nearby Friendship Heights, police said a man driving a maroon SUV approached a 13-year-old girl. On Friday, a man made “inappropriate comments,” to a group of girls playing outside in Silver Spring, police said.

A Montgomery County police spokeswoman said it isn't clear whether the incidents are related.

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"Is there a possibility they're related? Certainly, but it's possible they're not, so that could also be the case," said county police spokeswoman Officer Britta Thomas. 

“We wanted to put [the alert] out there so we can have everyone keeping their eyes and ears open, and maybe parents can have a discussion with their kids about not talking to strangers.”

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According to police, following the most recent incident Tuesday evening, the victim—a woman who works in Chevy Chase Village—was able to run to a nearby friend’s house. Police said the man, who had been following slowly behind her in his minivan as she was walking, in order to keep pace with her, exited the vehicle and began walking towards her when she tried to take a picture of his car with her cell phone.

The victim told police she had been followed by a white panel van in the same area several times over the past few weeks. Police described the suspect as a male about 25 to 30 years old with a short, buzzed haircut and no facial hair. He wore blue jeans and a T-shirt. He was driving a light blue or gray older model Honda minivan described as “beat up.”

Earlier Tuesday, police said a 13-year-old girl was walking near 4420 South Park Avenue in Friendship Heights around 4 p.m. when she noticed a maroon SUV drive by several times. The driver pulled up next to the girl and began asking her questions, including her name. The girl ran to a store on Wisconsin Avenue and contacted her parents.

Police are describing the suspect as a male with short black hair in his late 30s or early 40s, driving a maroon SUV with black trim on the bottom of the doors.

The third incident happened around 4:30 p.m. Friday, when a man described as being in his 40s approached a group of girls playing outside near 2442 Ross Road in Silver Spring “and began making inappropriate comments about their bodies,” according to police. He asked one girl “if she wanted to go with him,” and the girl ran to her friends, according to the alert. One victim told police she had seen the man in the area several times before.

Chevy Chase Village Police are asking residents to be alert and call 301-654-7300 immediately if they notice suspicious activity. If you are on the District side of the line, call 911.


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