A Fairfax man has been arrested for groping and assaulting multiple women at different shopping centers in the Fair Oaks area earlier this week, police say.
Officers responded first to Fair Oaks Mall (11700 Fair Oaks Mall) at 5:04 p.m. on Wednesday (May 28) after two women reported that a man had “approached and touched them inappropriately,” according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
“Officers saturated the area to locate the suspect,” the FCPD said today (Friday) in a press release.
While searching for the alleged suspect, officers were called to the 13000 block of Fair Lakes Shopping Center at 5:17 p.m. for a report of a “man masturbating in a vehicle,” though the person left before they arrived at the scene.
Officers were then dispatched to Fairfax Towne Center (12210 Fairfax Towne Center) at 7:41 p.m. when a woman reported that a man “approached her in the parking lot and assaulted her,” the FCPD says.
According to the department, officers were able to identify and locate the man using surveillance footage and automated license plate readers provided by Flock Safety.
“At 8:12 p.m., officers located the suspect at his residence where he assaulted an officer,” the FCPD said. “Gigssa Bekele Bengessa, 33, of Fairfax was taken into custody after a brief struggle.”
Bekele Bengessa has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery, indecent exposure, obstruction of justice and two counts of assaulting a law enforcement officer. After an arraignment yesterday, he’s currently in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.
A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Aug. 11 at 2 p.m., per Fairfax County General District Court records.
