In a largely Hispanic area of Springfield, the neighborhood cohesiveness was apparent the afternoon of Saturday, July 24, as an attempted abduction was halted when neighbors stepped in.
According to Fairfax County Police, a woman was attacked in the stairwell of an apartment building in the 6100 block of Backlick Road in the Springfield area. The victim was in the stairwell when, police say, 34-year-old Carlos Escoto-Mendoza grabbed her and attempted to pull her down the stairs. Two alert building residents heard the victim's screams and came to her assistance, chasing off Mendoza and later directing police to his location. One man remained on the scene when police showed up, and the other left the scene.
"The first person was a man," said officer Bud Walker, police spokesperson.
"He pointed out to where the perpetrator ran to," Walker said.
The police were able to locate and arrest Escoto-Mendoza of the 6100 block of Backlick Road in Springfield.
The quick action by the two neighbors to prevent the crime didn't surprise Erica Ortiz, a resident of the apartments for the past two months.
"It's like a family down here," Ortiz said. "I know everybody down here."
If faced with a similar situation, "I would call the cops or something," Ortiz said.
Across the street, Kevin McGuckin owns the Gents Barber Shop. He was on duty during the attack but didn't see anything.
"Everybody would hope that somebody would do something if they heard something," McGuckin said.
Escoto-Mendoza was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, where he was charged with abduction with the intent to defile and held without bond.