A man identified as Russell Fred Dunkley III was arrested late Monday after attacking DC teachers with 24 students during their afternoon stroll through the Bloomingdale neighborhood.
The attack occurred a few blocks from the children's daycare facility and began when Marleni Etevina Diaz-Villalobos, a DC teacher, noticed a disturbed man talking to a colleague.
Police Arrested Dunkley for Attacking DC Teachers
The children and the DC teacher walk daily around the same time, taking a break at a small stone wall where they sit and sip water on a street lined with two- and three-story rowhouses.
The kids looked scared when the man was standing uncomfortably close to them. Diaz-Villalobos yelled at Dunkley, but he walked toward her despite threatening to call the police.
Dunkley threatened the teacher and said, "Call them - they won't do anything," the two kids got more scared and were pressed against Diaz-Villalobos' legs.
Twenty-four children and other DC workers watched Diaz-Villalobos get punched while the kids screamed to the man to let their teacher go. Another female DC worker was also punched in the head and face when they demanded to be left alone.
Diaz-Villalobos spent her Monday night in a hospital with a bloody nose.
The police arrested Dunkley when a witness pointed him out near where the attack took place. Dunkley was charged with multiple crimes, including two counts of assault on the daycare teachers and child abuse.
Police reported that Dunkley spat at and hit an officer at a hospital and was also charged with assaulting a police officer.
The police records also revealed that Dunkley had been arrested in Bloomingdale on October 3 with similar charges to Monday's incident. The incident on October 3 involved adult victims and was released on a reference prospecting a future court date.
The police said that Dunkley was detained at a hospital as of Tuesday. According to DC Council member Zachary Parker, a law in Bloomingdale allows authorities to involuntarily detain people for 48 hours for mental health assessment, which needs to be reevaluated to add more time.
Children's Safety at Risk in Bloomingdale
Carlos Heraud, an assistant DC police chief in the Investigative Services Bureau, said, "Our children are our most vulnerable people."
He said that crimes like this are highly troubling as they are all responsible for keeping the children safe.
La Shada Ham-Campbell, the founder of Petit Scholars, which has five daycare centers in Ward 5, including the one in Bloomingdale, expressed her worries. She shared that the children and teachers were all traumatized, and their families were distressed.
DC Mayor Muriel E. Bowser filed a new crime bill pledging to convey that violence is unacceptable in the city. But they are also calling for more extended mental health support so that those arrested with mental health needs can get the assistance they need, as reported in Fox 5 Washington DC.
