Beaten and covered in blood, a Gwinnett real estate agent flagged down a passerby Wednesday morning and asked her to call 911.
She’d been attacked, she said — by a man seemingly masquerading as both a potential buyer and a woman.
By late Wednesday afternoon, authorities had arrested a suspect in the case.
According to Gwinnett County police, the real estate agent was contacted Monday morning by a man interested in viewing a home near the Lawrenceville-area intersection of Sugarloaf Parkway and Lawrenceville Highway. She met the man — who was “wearing women’s clothing and a wig,” police said — and allowed him to view the home alone while she waited outside.
“When the suspect exited the home, he grabbed her and began assaulting her on the porch,” Gwinnett County police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera said.
The woman was eventually able to free herself and ran away before flagging down someone to call 911. She then spoke with police officers and provided a description of the suspect and his vehicle, as well as a partial tag number.
Police later arrested Jeffrey Wayne Shumate, 38, of Lawrenceville. The suspect was booked into the Gwinnett County jail on charges of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and battery.
Pihera said a possible motive for the attack was unclear.
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