Ex-Convict Arrested for This Afternoon's Random Attacks on Two Women Downtown

A 32-year-old convicted felon is in custody for Sunday afternoon’s random attacks on two women downtown.

Jacob Harrison Thompson has just been booked on charges of aggravated kidnapping, attempted aggravated rape and attempted rape for attacking a 29-year-old victim at her car at Representative John Lewis Way and Lea Avenue, and attacking a 30-year-old woman in a restroom of the Fifth and Broadway complex.

In the first case, which occurred shortly after 3 p.m., the victim had just gotten off work and walked to her car. Once she got inside, she saw a man, later identified as Thompson, staring at her. He ran toward the vehicle, got inside from the passenger door, and attempted to force her to perform a sex act. The victim put the car in reverse in an attempt to get away but collided with another vehicle. She got out and ran. A witness saw Thompson chasing her and yelled at him, which caused him to flee the immediate area.

In the second case, which occurred shortly after 4 p.m., the victim had gone into a women’s restroom at Fifth and Broadway. When she exited a stall, Thompson was standing in the restroom. As she attempted to walk by him, Thompson pulled her by the hair and began pounding her head into a wall. He took her to the ground and began attempting to remove her pants. Security staff and the victim’s husband entered the restroom to intervene. Thompson fled and ran down an escalator as security staff pursued him. Central Precinct officers responded quickly and took Thompson into custody.

Thompson, who is listed as homeless, is an ex-con who received a 5-year sentence for aggravated burglary in 2010, and a 16-year sentence for especially aggravated robbery in 2011.

A judicial commissioner ordered that Thompson be held in lieu of $650,000 bond on today’s charges.