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Suspect arrested in kidnap, sexual assault of UNLV student

A 21-year-old man was arrested Sunday in connection with the Friday morning abduction and sexual assault of a UNLV student.

Police said Juhjuan Washington was taken into custody at a home near East Robindale Road and South Eastern Avenue on Sunday. He was being held Monday at the Clark County Detention Center and is facing several charges, including two counts of kidnapping with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon, coercion with force or threat of force and six counts of open or gross lewdness.

About 6:30 a.m. Friday, police said the female student parked her car on the second floor of Cottage Grove Parking Garage, on the UNLV campus near Maryland Parkway and Flamingo Road, when an armed man approached her as she was removing items from the car.

Officers said the man forced her back into the car and made her drive to the intersection of Katie Avenue and Cambridge Street, where he forced her to perform a sexual act on him, school police said in a statement. She was eventually able to grab his gun and escape, police said.

UNLV Police Department spokesman Hobreigh Fischer said the department has not had any run-ins with Washington before the Oct. 20 incident.

The Metropolitan Police Department’s investigation is ongoing and police believe there may have been other victims that have not yet come forward. Anyone with information should call the department at 702-828-3421 or Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.

Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.

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