Sexual Assault Report At Holocaust Museum Deemed False, Police Say

WASHINGTON, DC — A report of an alleged sexual assault that prompted an hour-long lockdown at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Sunday is false, U.S. Park Police said.

DC Police received a call at around 3:20 p.m. Sunday regarding a sexual assault that allegedly occurred in a restroom at the popular tourist site. Officials placed the museum on Raoul Wallenberg Place on lockdown for a little over an hour, police said.

After receiving a description of the alleged suspect, reviewing surveillance video and speaking with people who were outside of the bathroom, police concluded there is no evidence that a man went into the bathroom where the assault was said to have happened.

U.S. Park Police Sgt. Anna Rose told The Washington Post that if the assault had happened, witnesses would have "been right there and seen something," as museum tourists were right outside the restroom at the time.

“Someone would not have been able to come and go without someone seeing something,” Rose said.

Police said the lockdown was instituted out of caution and was necessary to make sure the alleged suspect did not escape the museum.

Several museum visitors took to social media to describe their confusion as to why the museum was placed on lockdown, WTOP reports. Posters said women and children were let out of the museum first.

It's unclear whether the woman who made the report will face charges as of early Monday morning. For more DC crime news, subscribe to the DC Patch daily newsletter and realtime breaking news alerts.

Photo of museum by Phil Kalina via Flickr