ROCKVILLE, MD (ABC7) — A 31-year-old man told police he entered a secure apartment building, broke into a second floor apartment and tried to rape an unsuspecting woman all because he was horny.
Tedros Ishetu, of Silver Spring, is facing criminal charges of attempted first-degree rape, home invasion, second-degree assault and false imprisonment.
Managers of the leasing office at Congressional Towers Apartment building tell ABC7 that a letter will be sent out Tuesday to residents informing them about the incident.
On Monday, January 16, Ishetu snuck into the Congressional Towers apartment building, located along the 200 block of Congressional Lane. The seven-story building, which requires key fob access, is home to dozens of families in a predominantly Asian section of Rockville.
According to police, Ishetu walked through the lobby, rode an elevator to floor two and then entered an unlocked unit.
A 36-year-old woman cooking in the kitchen heard a noise.
When she turned around, she saw Ishetu with his finger over his lips, telling the woman to remain quiet.
Police say Ishetu attempted to cover the woman’s mouth, rip off her shirt and drag her to the bedroom. However, the five-foot-six, 150 pound, attacker’s plans were foiled when the victim bit his palm, started to scream and escaped into the hallway.
Fearful of being caught, Ishetu ran away, escaping down an elevator – coincidentally passing the victim’s husband and young child who had been playing outside at the time of the random attack.
Patrol officers caught Ishetu nearby. During an interview with a detective, the 31-year-old waived his rights and admitted to the entire incident: entering the unit at random, locking the door behind him, checking to ensure the woman was alone, and then attacking the woman, pinning her body down by the arms.
When asked why he did such a terrible thing, Ishetu allegedly told officers that he “needed sex” and was, “trying to get some.” He also shared that he “didn’t want to hurt” the victim, but rather “just rape her.”
Despite his candor with cops, Ishetu, who has a significant criminal record in Maryland and Virginia, stated that he should not receive a lot of prison time because he had only committed an attempted rape.
Police say in his haste of fleeing, Ishetu left his black jacket and two unwrapped condoms beside the victim’s bed.
“I am pretty shocked,” said Ngoc Nguyen, who lives next door to the victim and takes care of her newborn son. “I can’t imagine. I would be like terrified and I don’t know what would happen.”
ABC7 spoke with more than a dozen building residents on Monday. Not one was aware of the violent stranger-on-stranger crime. Many argued that Montgomery County Police and apartment management should have informed tenants about what had occurred within the building.
“I think they should have had a notice or something like that from the management,” said Chenyue Wang, a husband with a young son. “I just don’t know how one can get in without anyone’s awareness and suddenly show up in the kitchen. It’s very hard for me to imagine.”
Ishetu remains behind bars in Montgomery County. His next court appearance is scheduled for later this month. He faces up to a life term in prison, plus an additional 35 years.