A man accused of attacking a woman in the Fulton County courthouse last week has been arrested, the sheriff’s office announced Wednesday.
Lester Walker, 42, was taken into custody Monday. He is facing charges of battery and aggravated assault after he allegedly attacked a woman in a second-floor women’s bathroom Thursday, the sheriff’s office said. The woman sustained minor injuries.
Court documents claim Walker choked the victim after hiding in a stall.
In a hospital interview with investigators, the victim said she was reaching for paper towels after washing her hands when she felt an arm around her neck. The attacker had her in a chokehold and was squeezing her throat, an arrest warrant states. She had initially noticed that the stall next to the one she used was closed, she said, but she didn’t think anything of it at the time.
She tried to fight the attacker, but told investigators she was dragged to the floor. Then, she screamed. But the suspect placed his hand over her mouth and nose, blocking her ability to breathe, the warrant states.
She was able to free up her airway a couple of times, investigators noted in the warrant. However, that’s when the suspect “placed his hand around her windpipe and squeezed tight,” the warrant states.
The victim said she was able to scream again, at which point another woman entered the restroom, causing the suspect to run away, according to the warrant.
Investigators noted multiple abrasions around the victim’s neck, eyes and nose, as well as lacerations on her lower lip. She also had bruises on her left leg.
According to court documents, Walker’s movements were captured on surveillance video. He was seen leaving the courthouse after the alleged attack through an unauthorized exit.
Prior to the attack, he was seen in security footage visiting the Fulton County Voter Registration Office, the warrant states. He filled out a form, which is how his identity was discovered.
The incident prompted an immediate search for the suspect in the area surrounding the justice center complex, which sits on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Pryor Street. He was spotted in the same area Monday by a senior investigator with the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.
“As I’m heading home, I observe the suspect walking on Pryor Street,” Investigator DeJuan Walker told Channel 2 Action News. “He matched the description.”
The investigator followed the man until he was able to flag down a Capitol police officer, who called for backup and made the arrest.
District Attorney Fani Willis told Channel 2 that her office will also “look at kidnapping and false imprisonment charges.”
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