One Suspected Assailant Arrested in NE “Twerk” Assault

D.C. police have arrested one of two suspects in an Oct. 7 sexual assault case that went viral after video of the attack was posted online and spread rapidly on social media.

The assault occurred back on Oct. 7 at a convenience store on the 1700 block of New York Ave. NE. A man talks on the phone while he waits in line to checkout when the woman in front of him backs into him and begins twerking, a dance move that Urban Dictionary defines as “the rhythmic gyrating of the lower fleshy extremities in a lascivious manner.” Then, her friend approaches the man, grabbing at him and hugging him and not letting go.

D.C. police post videos of crimes like this one on YouTube all the time to assist in finding suspects, but few have garnered as many views and bring about as much debate as this one. At time of print, different iterations of MPD’s video had racked up over a million and a half views on various social media outlets. Viewers wrote thousands of comments, poking fun at the assault and questioning the victim, an area teacher, for pressing charges.

According to [ABC7[(http://abc7.com/news/1-of-2-women-arrested-in-twerking-assault/1079295/), the victim wishes to remain unnamed “because of the backlash he’s seen on social media for filing a police report against the two women.” He added, “They were all over my chest and grabbing me. If I would have done that obviously I would have been arrested, thrown to the ground, probably 20 years in prison, no out. You know, it’s not the same thing.”