Man Arrested In Montgomery County Assault May Be Connected To 2 Attacks On Women In Philadelphia, Sources Say
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Police are investigating whether a man arrested in Montgomery County for an assault could be linked to the unprovoked attack caught on camera of three women in South Philadelphia.
Law enforcement officials say Malcolm White was arrested in Montgomery County for carjacking and assault. Sources tell Eyewitness News that police believe White may also be responsible for a series of violent attacks in Philadelphia.
Chilling surveillance video shows three women randomly assaulted in an unprovoked attack while walking on the 1200 block of Morris Street shortly after 11 p.m. on Wednesday night.
"He made some utterances, but none of them really made any sense," Chief Insp. Frank Vanore said. "We're not sure what he was trying to say."
Witnesses say the victims, all in their 20s, were screaming for their lives.
Police say one of the women was left with a broken nose and all three were badly bruised. They were treated at a hospital in South Philadelphia and are in stable condition.
Eyewitness News has learned that 20 minutes later, on the 1900 block of South 13th Street, a woman sitting on a front step was assaulted.
"Walks right up to her as she's sitting on the front steps and assaults her," Vanore said. "This female is knocked unconscious."
The suspect's description was similar, a Black man in his 30s wearing a red jacket, about 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10.
The suspect's description also fits another attack that happened Thursday in Roxborough. Authorities say a man with a similar description, but wearing different clothing, followed a woman into her place of business, attacked, robbed, and sexually assaulted her.
The Special Victims Unit in Philadelphia has developed enough probable cause to connect the suspect arrested in Montgomery County to the case in Roxborough.
The DA's office has approved charges for that suspect and the Philadelphia Police Department is working on a warrant.
At this time, Vanore says there is no way to connect the suspect to the attacks in South Philadelphia other than the motive and description being the same. Investigators are working to positively link the cases.
An investigation is ongoing.
CBS3's Alecia Reid and Siafa Lewis contributed to this report.
