Annandale Man Charged With Attempted Rape, Suspect In 2nd Case

An earlier version of this story erroneously reported that the suspect was connected to another local law enforcement agency. This story has been corrected.

ANNANDALE, VA — A 24-year-old Annandale man faces multiple charges, including rape and abduction, after being arrested by county police on Friday in connection with a sexual assault that occurred at a business on John Marr Drive.

Around 11 a.m., on Wednesday, officers responded to an Annandale business for the report of a sexual assault. A 59-year-old employee told police that a man in his 20s or 30s twice tried to enter the business. On the third attempt, the man succeeded.

"The offender pushed his way inside and held the victim captive inside her own business for several hours," said Capt. Daniel Spital, during a Monday news conference at the Fairfax County Public Safety Headquarters. "Throughout this nightmare, the suspect sexually assaulted the victim repeatedly and threatened to kill her if she didn't do exactly what he told her to do. The victim found a moment when the suspect's attention was diverted and bravely took that opportunity to escape. She ran to a nearby business and she asked for someone to call for help."

Spital added that police obtained an enormous amount of evidence from the crime seen, including fingerprints of the suspect.

After police released a composite photo of the suspect on Friday, they were contacted by the Northern Virginia Community College Police, who told them they were investigating a separate attempted sexual assault on Thursday night involving a female student.

"Detectives from both jurisdictions compared information and determined that they were looking for the same man," Spital said. "On Friday, an officer with the Northern Virginia Community College Police Department received information from detectives on the suspect to include unique tattoos that he had and unique mannerisms that he had."

At the same time, detectives with FCPD's Forensics Bureau matched the fingerprints taken at the crime scene to those of the suspect, whom they identified as Kevin Lopez-Altan.

"Lopez-Altan is known to hang out in various shopping centers in Annandale and after learning this, FCPD saturated the Annandale area, looking for Lopez-Altan," Spital said. "A short time later around 1:20 p.m., on Friday, an FCPD sergeant who was in the area located Lopez-Altan in the Heritage Center Shopping Center and he took him into custody."

NVCC police charged Lopez-Altan with attempted rape and abduction with intent to defile. FCPD charged with 10 felonious charges, including three counts of rape, three counts of forcible sodomy, object sexual penetration, abduction with intent to defile, burglary, and strangulation. Lopez-Altan is being held without bond.

"Our shared perpetrator is a monstrous 24-year-old man whose crime in Fairfax County is both abhorrent and inhumane," said Fairfax Police Chief Kevin Davis, during Monday's news conference. "I often cringe at self-congratulatory police press conferences following a significant act of prevention or, as in this case, a significant case closure that swiftly brings a predator like this one to justice."

Davis went on to say that the news conference was not about highlighting the collaborative efforts between the two departments nor the investigative work that led to Altan's arrest.

"Those are givens and things our community simply expects from us and we routinely deliver," he said. "Today is about to sexual assault victims and a staunch reminder why it is still necessary to have a sexual assault awareness month when that begins and just a few days and lasts throughout the month of April."

Saly Fayez, director of FCPD's Victim Services Division, told reporters that her staff was working with the victims of the crime.

"You are brave. You are courageous," she said. "It's important to understand that this doesn't end today. The police department is going to stand by you, the detectives are going to stand by you, because we recognize that you are watching and we're with you."

Anyone with information about this case or who thinks they may have been a victim of Lopez-Altan is asked to contact FCPD's Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 3. Tips can also be submitted anonymously via Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or online. Download our Mobile tip411 App "Fairfax Co Crime Solvers."