WASHINGTON — A woman jumped from an apartment building window after being tied up in order to escape an assault, according to a Metropolitan Police Department police report. It was originally thought she fell from the window.
Police say 911 was called Thursday around 7 p.m. about a woman who fell from an apartment at the 4500 block of Connecticut Avenue in Northwest. DC Fire and EMS located the woman with serious injuries.
Duncan Bedlion, MPD's Second District Commander, told reporters that the woman was helped by citizens in the area. She was taken to the hospital and "is stable right now, but in critical condition," Bedlion said.
“As officers were investigating … a suspect arrived on the scene," Bedlion said. "He was distraught. He provided some information that led us to believe he was a suspect in this case and he has since been placed under arrest.”
Court documents show the man, who referred to himself as the woman's boyfriend, was arrested and charged with intent to kill, possession of an unregistered gun and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device.
A firearm was recovered in an apartment, Bedlion said, but police did not receive reports of gunshots. The firearm appeared to be functional, but not loaded, according to court documents. MPD's forensic team will investigate if the firearm had any connection to the "domestic incident."
A police report released Friday said the woman and boyfriend had been arguing about infidelity's issues and how she failed a polygraph test that she had took earlier in the day.
The police report stated the woman reported being assaulted by the suspect, who tied her hands and feet together. The woman was able to get free and jumped from the building after the suspect left the room, the report said.
MPD tweeted before 9:30 p.m. that a 1-year-old boy was missing in connection with the incident. Within about 15 minutes, police tweeted that the boy had been located. He was found safe at the home of a family member, Bedlion said. Court documents later dentified the child as the couple's son.
WUSA9 was at the scene and saw an 8th floor window smashed at Connecticut House Apartments. In the police report, a room and window that MPD officers found on the 8th floor of the apartment complex appeared to be where the woman had jumped out of on Thursday evening.
The Humane Rescue Alliance was on the scene; Bedlion said reptiles, which include turtles snakes and lizards, were found in an apartment and were turned over. It's unclear if the reptiles are relevant to this case.
Anyone with information about this case should call MPD's Command Information Center at 202-727-9099.
If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic violence, help is available through the organization DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence. For more resources, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY number).