Follow-up on weekend assaults

Wilmington police say the same man may have attacked two women.

The attacks happened over the weekend, and may be connected to a downtown rape last month.

Police just made that announcement this afternoon, two days after the latest attacks. Some residents are upset police did not notify them sooner.

Investigators are being very tight lipped about the attacks, and that has some local people taking it upon themselves to raise awareness.

The attacks happened early Saturday morning.

Police say around 4 a.m., 20-year-old Roxanne was carjacked from a gas station on South College Road.

She was told to drive to another gas station on the corner of Greenville Loop Road and Pine Grove. That was when he beat and tried to rape her.

She managed to get away, and run to safety.

The second attack happened 2 hours later, when a 40-year-old woman was jogging near Holly Tree Road.

These two incidents, and last month’s stabbing and assault downtown, has downtown businesses concerned for the safety of their staff.

Elijah’s Restaurant manager Ryan Piraneo said, “In the meeting that I did, I just told especially all the female servers especially when you’re walking out at night to grab a male just to be that presence to walk out with them.”

Both victims of this weekend’s attacks say their attacker resembled the man in the sketch put together by the victim of last month’s assault.

Police are not ruling out the possibility that it could be the same man in all 3 attacks.

The car Roxanne was driving was found Saturday in Onslow County.

Police say they are stepping up patrols around Wilmington.

Roxanne contacted WWAY because she wanted to make sure the public knew this guy is still on the loose.