Alleged Sex Offender Falls To His Death In Attempt To Escape The Police

A man who has been accused of sexual assault died Wednesday after falling from the roof of an apartment building in Washington, D.C.. According to police reports, the suspect identified as Duan Terry, 44, tried to evade arrest and fled to the rooftop where he attempted to hang off the ledge. However, the suspect ended up plummeting to his death.

Officers responded to reports of an intruder at a 10-storey block in Porter Street Northwest at around 1:15am Wednesday. Terry was said to have broken into two occupied apartments where he had sexually assaulted a female in one of them. The suspect was pronounced dead on the scene.

Police are still investigating the case as it is still unclear if the suspect had ties to the building or the victims involved, the Daily Caller reported.

A witness said the suspect had "entered his apartment and was moving stealthily in the kitchen." He then later entered another apartment "and used a knife to force his female victim to engage in a sexual act against her will.

It was not clear how he had gained access to the two properties in the Cleveland Park neighborhood but Dave Simon, a local resident who lives with his wife on the 6th floor of the building, told media reporters he awoke to unusual noises.

"We could hear running in the halls and screaming, not like a party screaming, but someone was scared," Simon said.

Another resident, Eli Orland said, "When I peeked out I saw a number of police officers and a body on the ground on my patio. I didn't hear the fall itself. It wasn't until I looked out that I saw someone on the ground. I know other residents who have mentioned they need to start locking their doors.”

Data records on Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) show there are approximately 433,648 victims of rape and sexual assault each year in the U.S. The organization estimates that one out of every six American women has been the victim of attempted or completed rape.