Man grabbed, sexually battered woman outside of her Orlando home, police say

ORLANDO, Fla. - Police in Orlando are attempting to identify a suspect who forcefully grabbed and sexually battered a woman outside of her home.

According to the Orlando Police Department, officers responded to the 1300 block of East Jefferson Street on Saturday night in reference to a sexual battery.

Upon arrival, they said that units made contact with the victim. She advised that she was out in front of her residence when an unknown light-skinned black male, wearing all black clothing and a bandana covering his face, grabbed her and forced her around the side of the house. The suspect then sexually battered the victim and left the scene on foot.

The suspect has not yet been located. The victim was reportedly uncertain that she could complete a composite sketch of the suspect.

Meanwhile, police said that they have increased manpower and resources in the Thornton Park area.

They also said that they are not sure if this is related to an incident earlier in October where a man tried to force his way into a woman's apartment. That incident occurred in the Lake Eola Heights neighborhood. The female victim in this incident was entering her apartment when a man approached her, covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming, and attempted to push her into her apartment. The victim screamed so loud that her neighbors came out and the suspect fled.

Orlando Representative Anna Eskamani, who lives in the area, said she has seen several police units patrolling the area since the incident. 

She is working with law enforcement and the community to make sure neighbors feel safe.

“Witnessing the actual coverage of police speaks to how important and scary this is to our community,” she said. “We’ve been having conversations with law enforcement for a while now to ensure that victims of crime have an opportunity to seek justice and that there’s also preventative measures in place to prevent anyone from committing this type of crime.”

Detectives are reportedly following up on video leads in the area.

Police are also testing DNA evidence from both attacks to see if the cases could be connected.

If you have video or information that could help with either investigation, call Orlando police or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.