By Tim Clifford

Assault on Barton Street
On Oct. 13 two police officers on bike patrol were flagged down by a citizen on California Ave. S.W. / S.W. Erskine WY at 3:37 p.m. to report a drunken man who was “acting strange” a couple of blocks over. The officers made their way to the man to investigate what was going on.

The man, a transient, admitted to the officers that he was drunk and that his strange behavior was due to the fact that he hadn’t slept in days due to paranoia. On Oct. 9 while sleeping the man had been brutally assaulted and as a result was too frightened to let his guard down at any time.

The victim explained to the officers that on Oct. 9 at approximately 4:30 p.m. he was sleeping in a makeshift shelter near the Westwood Village shopping center on the 2800 block of S.W. Barton St. when he was awoken by the sounds of two men approaching.

The suspects, one white male and one Hispanic male, immediately began beating the victim, possibly with a baton, striking him multiple times in the head and face. In a frenzied effort to protect himself the victim pulled out a container of pepper spray and accidentally sprayed himself in the face twice. After this mishap the two suspects left the scene.

At this point in his story the victim pulled off the hat he was wearing to reveal his right ear; which had been split straight down the middle. The officers could also see other signs of bruising and bumps around his head.

An ambulance was called for the victim and he was taken to the hospital. The victim informed the officers that he knew one of the suspects but did not want to give any information about that suspect’s identity. The suspects remain at large.

Woman gets cut after party
Just after 5 a.m. on Oct. 11 police received a call describing a group of 10 or more young males near the intersection of 22 Ave. S.W. and S.W. Andover St. who appeared to be checking the handles to parked cars, seemingly in an effort to break into them. When police arrived at the scene they realized that a house party had wrapped up shortly before and people were attempting to find their cars and leave.
Right as the officers were about to leave themselves a young woman flagged them down and told them that she had just been assaulted.

The victim explained that she and her ex-boyfriend had been arguing loudly outside of the party when a friend to the ex-boyfriend decided to intervene. Unhappy with how the victim was speaking to her ex-boyfriend the suspect pushed the victim onto the cement and continued to push her down to keep her on the ground. Eventually the suspect found a broken bottle on the ground and came at the victim cutting the palm of her hand.

The victim refused medical attention stating that her father was a doctor. An area check was done in the hopes of locating the suspect but proved unfruitful. The victim only knew the suspect by a nickname and told officers that she would find out his real name and give that information to investigators at a later time. The suspect remains at large.

Crimes reported between Oct.9 and Oct.16

Burglaries by block: 1700 block of Ferry Ave. S.W., 2100 block of 48 Ave. S.W., 4500 block of 45 Ave. S.W., 5200 block of 18 Ave. S.W., 6300 block of 47 Ave. S.W., 4100 block of S.W. Morgan St., 2600 block of S.W. Barton St., 9200 block of 29 Ave. S.W., 9000 block of 10 Ave. S., 9000 block of 11 Ave. S., 9400 block of 17 Ave. S.W.

Car prowls by block: 3200 block of 36 Ave. S.W., 4000 block of 41 Ave. S.W., 42 Ave. S.W. / S.W. Dawson St., 2800 block of S.W. Raymond St., 7800 block of Detroit Ave. S.W., 1000 block of S. Cloverdale St., 9000 block of 8 Ave. S.W., 8800 block of 28 Ave. S.W., 8800 block of 36 Ave. S.W., 9600 block of 20 Ave. S.W.

Car thefts by block: 2400 block of Prescott Ave. S.W., 3300 block of 30 Ave. S.W., 4500 block of 40 Ave. S.W., 5900 block of 34 Ave. S.W., 8100 block of 9 Ave. S.W., 8800 block of 9 Ave. S.W., 9000 block of 9 Ave. S.W., 2600 block of S.W. Barton St., 9400 block of 27 Ave. S.W.