Elias Hailu, Unprovoked Street Sexual Assault, DC 2023

Elias Hailu, 37, of Washington, D.C., has admitted to grabbing a stranger’s breast on a busy Northwest DC sidewalk last fall — a daylight sexual assault that unfolded in the 14th Street corridor. The attack, brazen and unprovoked, sent shockwaves through the neighborhood and ended with Hailu’s arrest just two days later.

Hailu pleaded guilty on March 13, 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to attempted third-degree sexual abuse. The charges stem from the afternoon of November 15, 2017, when the victim was walking to work along U Street NW toward 13th Street. Surveillance footage later confirmed Hailu had tailed her for several blocks, ignoring her repeated demands to leave her alone.

Despite the victim’s clear refusal, Hailu escalated the encounter by forcefully grabbing her breast with his hand. The assault happened in public, in broad daylight — a chilling reminder of the vulnerability women face even in crowded urban spaces. The victim reported the attack immediately to law enforcement, triggering a rapid investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit.

Cops pinned Hailu down using surveillance video that captured his distinct clothing — some of which he wore again the next day in the same area. When arrested on November 17, 2017, Hailu was still wearing pieces of the same outfit seen in the footage. That visual evidence, combined with the victim’s description, sealed his identification as the perpetrator.

Under the terms of his plea, Hailu faces a prison sentence to be determined by the Honorable Judith Bartnoff, with sentencing scheduled for May 9, 2018. Beyond any incarceration, he will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years and serve a period of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu commended the MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit for their swift work, as well as Victim/Witness Advocate Tracy Owusu, Paralegal Specialist Donhue Troy Griffith, and Criminal Investigator John Marsh from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Matt Williams and Marisa West led the prosecution, ensuring a violent predator won’t stay free for long.