Police sketch of assault suspect — click to enlarge

On Monday, April 21, 2014, during the early morning hours, a woman reported to the Somerville Police that she was the victim of an assault near the 300 block of Beacon Street.  She had departed the Porter Square MBTA Station and was walking alone on Beacon Street when her attacker grabbed her from behind and made an attempt to force her into a nearby alley.  The victim was able to scream and fend off her attacker.  The victim described her attacker as a thin black male, in his 30’s, 6-00, clean shaven, and wearing dark clothing.

This incident is similar to an assault that was reported in Cambridge last week. On Wednesday, April 16, 2014, a woman reported to Cambridge Police that a man assaulted her after she too departed from the Porter Square MBTA Station and was walking home in Cambridge on Richdale Ave. Whether or not one suspect may be responsible for both incidents remains under investigation.

“Police will be diligent in their investigative efforts to identify, apprehend, and prosecute the individual who is responsible for this incident,” said Somerville Police Chief Charles Femino. “If anyone has any information or sees anything suspicious, we encourage you to report it immediately to Somerville Police.”

The Somerville Police would like to remind pedestrians of the following safety precautions, while reaffirming that no victim is ever to blame for the actions of an attacker. These measures promoted widely by crime prevention experts may simply help you reduce your risk of any type of crime from robbery to assault:

•    Be aware of your surroundings
•    Avoid wearing ear buds or headphones in both ears, especially while walking alone
•    If possible, avoid poorly lit or isolated areas
•    If you feel you are being followed, show you are suspicious by turning and looking directly at the person
•    If someone is following you, change your direction or cross the street and call 911 immediately
•    Try to remember descriptive information about the person you believe is following you to report to the police

Somerville Police detectives are actively investigating this incident. If anyone has any information regarding this incident, please contact the Somerville Police Criminal Investigation Division at 617-625-1600, extension 7610.

If you are a victim of a past sexual assault that has or has not been reported to the police for any reason, the Somerville Police Department strongly encourages contacting the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) at the Cambridge office at 617.492.8306, at the 24-hour hotline 800.841.8371, by (TTY) 617.492.6434.  Si usted habla español, porfavor llamenos al 800.223.5001 ó TTY 888.887.7130.  If you want to learn more about the services BARCC has to offer victims of sexual violence you can visit their website at www.barcc.org.

— Somerville Police Department