Police video surveillance records woman’s assault

A Las Vegas officer using a video surveillance camera witnessed the attempted sex assault of a woman on a downtown street Monday, prompting the arrest of a suspect in the case.

Las Vegas police said they arrested Gregory Sewane Walker, 29, on charges of attempted sex assault, first-degree kidnapping, coercion with use of force and battery to commit sex assault.

A police arrest report for Walker said Monday at 6:16 a.m. officers assigned to the police “fusion center” were “watching surveillance cameras” as they recorded a coverage area of Las Vegas Boulevard and East St. Louis Avenue in real time.

“Officers observed via video surveillance, in real time, an attempted sex assault in progress,” police wrote in the report.

The officers observed through the lens of the camera a woman in a purple dress on the ground. Then a man approached and forced himself onto her and pushed her into a corner alongside the street.

“Officers observed the female begin to struggle (and) crawl through the male’s legs to escape,” police said.

Patrol officers immediately responded and arrested Walker nearby. Police examined the resulting video from what are described as Fusion Watch surveillance cameras and put together a frame-by-frame synopsis of the attempted assault. Police wrote in the report that they also interviewed Walker and he denied involvement. Police then showed him the video.

“Walker offered no explanation,” police said. “He sat back in the chair and shrugged his shoulders.”

Las Vegas police have said the police Fusion Watch center is a 24/7 operations center that “provides real time crime monitoring” through the installation of surveillance cameras set up throughout the Las Vegas Valley.

Police have said the Fusion Watch center is used for information sharing, real-time crime monitoring, threat warning and dissemination. And it has proved to be a valuable tool for police on several occasions.

In December, the surveillance cameras were used to arrest a motorist suspected of running over a woman while driving under the influence, police said.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.