Leesburg Police on Aug. 10 released a short surveillance video of a Leesburg attack believed to be linked to a string of recent serial killings targeting black people in Flint, Mich., and possibly a case in Toledo, Ohio.

Composite Sketch from Michigan

Police believe three Leesburg attacks committed last week are related to the string of crimes.

The video clip shows a vehicle driving through the parking lot of Leesburg’s Plaza Street Shopping Center Aug. 6, stalking the victim. A 19-year-old dark-skinned Hispanic man was walking through a parking lot to meet friends in the 20 block of Catoctin Circle NE at about 9:45 p.m. when a man in a Chevrolet Blazer approached him, and the man inside asked for assistance with a vehicle problem, Price said.

As the teen approached the vehicle to help the man, the man tried to hit him over the head with a hammer-like object. The victim was able to duck, so he only received a partial blow before he ran for help.

The victim was taken to Inova Loudoun Hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Leesburg Police spokesman Officer Chris Jones said.

At a press conference Aug. 9, Leesburg Police Chief Joe Price said the attacks seem to be race-based.

“I truly believe the motivation is pure hatred,” Price said in another press conference Aug. 10.

The Leesburg cases are similar to 16 attacks in the Flint area between May and August, five of which resulted in deaths.

A similar case is also being reported from Toledo, Ohio.

“This is an extremely violent individual,” Price said. “I would consider this man very desperate and very dangerous.”

In all but one of the Flint cases, the victims were black, while two Leesburg victims are black and one is a dark-skinned Hispanic.

The attacker is described as a white man who is about 6 feet tall and has an athletic build.

Leesburg detectives found similarities with the cases in Michigan Aug. 8.

“Our detectives connected the dots very quickly,” Price said.

The vehicle the attacker was seen in is described as a Chevrolet S-10 Blazer with a dark green upper body and lighter trim. The model of the Blazer is consistent with those built from 1995 to 2000, and there are distinctive dents on the front. The vehicle does not have a front license plate or any state inspection stickers in the window.

The first Leesburg attack happened at about 9:30 p.m. Aug. 3 in the area of East Market Street and Plaza Street, police spokesman Lt. Wes Thompson said.

The victim, a 15-year-old black teen, was jogging in the area when the attacker approached him from behind and stabbed him in the back, Price said.

The teen was airlifted to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he remains in stable condition. He is expected to make a full recovery.

The victim’s mother, Virginia A. Scott-Key Kage posted a comment at LoudounTimes.com two days after the attack on her son Anthony, asking for prayers from the community.

“He is recovering at a very slow pace, due to his injuries,” Kage wrote, adding that the attack almost killed him.

In the second Leesburg attack, a 67-year-old black man was sitting on the front step of an apartment complex in the 800 block of Edwards Ferry Road at about 6:15 a.m.

The attacker drove into a parking lot near the man in the described vehicle, got out, walked into the lobby of the building, then walked out and stabbed the man in the back before fleeing, Price said.

The victim was flown to Inova Fairfax Hospital and lost a kidney from the attack. He is in serious condition but expected to recover.

Price said all of the victims have been either smaller in stature or significantly older than the attacker.

They are “people he thinks he can handle,” Price said.

When asked about whether a profile is being developed of the attacker or if cell phone calls placed last week from Leesburg to Flint are being searched, Price said his team is following all investigative leads available to them.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia State Police and the FBI are assisting with the case.

“We’re pretty confident that one way or another, we’ll find him,” Price said.

Michigan State Police have released a composite sketch of the attacker in its cases, but Price would not say whether the Leesburg victims have been shown that sketch.

He said that since the victims may have already seen it in media reports, police are working to determine if any of them can give an accurate description to a sketch artist without being influenced by the Michigan sketch.

The last similar case in Flint happened at about 2 a.m. Aug. 2, nearly two days before the first Leesburg attack.

It takes a little more than nine hours to drive from Flint to Leesburg.

The attack reported by press in Toledo, which is along the drive between Flint and Leesburg, happened Aug. 7.

Toledo is a seven-and-a-half-hour drive to Leesburg.

In the Toledo case, a church custodian who was taking a smoke break was stabbed twice in the stomach by a man who had stopped asking for directions. The man was driving a dark green Chevrolet S-10 Blazer just like the one used in the Leesburg cases.

Jones said “all eyes are looking” into the Toledo case.

However, Price said Leesburg residents shouldn’t see that as a reason to think the attacker is no longer here.

“I would advise all our citizens be aware,” he said.

Leesburg Crime Line is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people involved in the three attacks in town.

Anyone with information is asked to call Leesburg Police at 703-771-4500. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call 703-443-TIPS.

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Safety tips

In the wake of recent attacks in Leesburg that have been linked to serial killings in Michigan, the Leesburg Police department is offering the following personal safety tips:

•  Be aware of your surroundings at all times.

•  Avoid areas that are abandoned, secluded or poorly lit.

•  When walking, jogging or running, go with a partner.

•  If you do go alone, tell a family member or friend where you will be and when you expect to be back.

•  Carry a cell phone with you.

•  Don’t wear earphones that can reduce your ability to hear someone coming up from behind you.

•  Report any suspicious activity to law enforcement immediately by calling 703-771-4500.

“We want people to go on with their normal lives,” Leesburg Police Chief Joe Price said. “But we also want residents to take reasonable precautions to stay safe.”

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