WASHINGTON –Justin Q. Taylor, 23, of Washington, D.C., has pleaded guilty to third-degree sexual abuse for attacking a woman earlier this year at the Shaw-Howard University Metro Station, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.
Taylor pleaded guilty on Sept. 9, 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He is to be sentenced on Dec. 9, 2022, by the Honorable Milton C. Lee, Jr.
According to the facts agreed to by both parties, in the early afternoon of Jan. 28, 2022, Taylor followed a woman down the escalator of the Metro station, in the 1800 block of Seventh Street NW. When they got to the bottom, he grabbed her without warning by the waist and pressed his pelvis against her buttocks as she struggled to get away. The woman fought him off and screamed and Taylor ran back up the escalator and caught a Metro bus a short distance away.
A Metro Transit Police Officer saw Taylor boarding the bus after hearing a description of the attacker. That officer pulled the bus over, finding Taylor on board. Taylor was brought back near the scene, where the victim identified him as the man who had just assaulted her.
At the time of the offense, Taylor was on probation for a similar offense he committed in December 2018. In that case, he attacked a woman after the two had just gotten off a bus.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who handled the case from the Metro Transit Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Brenda C. Williams and Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan.
Finally, U.S. Attorney Graves commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.