The Alexandria Police Department (APD) is investigating an alleged attempted robbery and abduction in Old Town on Friday, Sept. 1.
At around 11 p.m. a 30-year-old woman flagged down an APD officer just outside the Firehook Bakery at 430 S. Washington Street to report she was the victim of an attempted abduction and assault, according to the police scanner.
The victim was treated at the scene for an injury to her mouth, according to the police scanner.
On Thursday night, nearly two weeks after the incident, APD confirmed that the incident occurred and that, “We are aware of recent social media posts about the incident.”
APD provided no details on the incident and did not respond to questions sent by ALXnow on Wednesday.
One of the posts on NextDoor said the following:
On sept 1, 2023, Friday of Labor Day weekend, a woman was walking across Wilkes Street and South Washington (Street) toward Firehook Bakery and a man following her grabbed her from behind and violently threw her to the ground, then put her in a choke hold and dragged her behind the bakery into the alley. A man in a car at the light turned down Wilkes (Street) and confronted the assailant and (the) woman ran to his car until police arrived. This was reported by police as a robbery and a kidnapping abduction. The gas station across the intersection got it on camera. The assailant has not been arrested.
The victim reported that the suspect is a Middle Eastern male in his 20s with a dark beard, tan backpack, baggy hoodie and dark pants, according to the police scanner.
The manager of the Exxon station at 501 S. Washington Street said he has a video of the incident and is willing to provide it to police, although they haven’t reached out to him and he hasn’t made an effort to send it to them. The manager refused to show the video to ALXnow.
“I have the video when they want it,” the manager said. “You see the man following her, and at the end of the Firehook he grabbed her. She was able to break away and she runs away and turns around and it looks like she’s asking him a question, and then he grabs her again and pulls her into the parking lot.”
Mayor Justin Wilson said that he was notified by a resident of the incident on Thursday.
“I do see a robbery posted in the crime reports, but that doesn’t match what is described in that social media post,” Wilson said. “I’m awaiting some feedback from APD.”
Anyone with information on this incident can call 703-746-4444, and anyone with video, photos, or audio footage of the incident can upload files here. Tipsters can remain anonymous.