ANNANDALE, Va. — Fairfax County Police announced the arrest of a man wanted in connection to two "brutal and horrifying" attacks on Northern Virginia women. Now, Fairfax County Police are searching for additional victims.
During a press conference on Monday, Fairfax County law enforcement announced the arrest of Kevin Lopez-Altan, who faces a dozen charges including rape and abduction for the two crimes.
According to detectives, on Wednesday, March 20, Lopez-Altan knocked on the door of a closed Annandale business. When the business owner came to the door to tell him the business was closed, the 24-year-old Annandale man forced his way inside the business. Investigators say Lopez-Altan held the business owner captive and repeatedly sexually assaulted her for hours, threatening to kill her if she called for help.
Eventually, detectives say the woman was able to escape while the man was distracted. She ran to a nearby business and called for help.
Detectives searched the business, and found an "enormous" amount of evidence, including fingerprints. During the course of their investigation, detectives learned of a separate attack on the campus of Northern Virginia Community College. In that case, a lone female student was sexually assaulted on Thursday, March 21. She was able to fight her attacker off, and go for help.
Police believe both attacks were random.
Investigators with NVCC Police and Fairfax County Police shared information and determined they were looking for the same person.
On Friday, an officer with the Northern Virginia Community College Police Department identified a suspect in the case based on distinctive tattoos and unique mannerisms. According to investigators, the man would make a "money hands" gesture with his fingers while walking around. The NVCC officer had previous run-ins with the suspect while he was serving as a sheriff's deputy for Fairfax County.
Detectives compared the fingerprints taken from the business scene to fingerprints of the suspect, and got an exact match for Lopez-Altan.
"He was absolutely instrumental in breaking this case wide open," said Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis of the NVCC officer.
Friday afternoon, after an all-out search for Lopez-Altan, police located him in the Heritage Center shopping mall in Annandal around 1:20 p.m.
Lopez-Altan faces a total of 12 charges from both agencies, including numerous counts of rape, attempted attempted rape, abduction and strangulation. He is being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
"We took a monstrous predator off the street," Davis said.
However, the investigation is not over. Police are now asking anyone who may have additional information, or may have been a victim of Lopez-Altan in the past, to contact them.
“These two acts were so brazen, so bold, so daring — it would be hard for me to believe that he hasn’t struck before,” Davis said.
During the press conference, investigators acknowledged the bravery of the two victims who came forward, preventing further attacks.
"We believe he absolutely positively would have struck again," Davis said. "We know that from the way he interacted with our detectives, his demeanor, his disposition. I would be shocked if their aren't other victims he's left in his wake."
Anyone with additional information for detectives is asked to call the Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800. Anonymous tips can be made via Fairfax County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.
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