A 16-year-old Sterling male remained in custody Tuesday afternoon after investigators charged him for grabbing and attempting to sexually assault two girls walking to school in the area of Seneca Ridge Drive and Augusta Drive Monday morning, around 7:30 a.m. 

As the girls walked along a path to school, an unknown male grabbed them, according to a press release from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. According to the release, the male attempted to sexually assault them before they freed themselves. Another male teenager who saw the incident chased the suspect away.

The male witness then walked the girls to Seneca Ridge Middle School, where they reported the incident. Investigators identified the suspect as a 16-year-old from Sterling. His name could not be released because he is a juvenile.

Detectives charged the suspect with two counts of abduction with intent to defile and two counts of aggravated sexual battery.

Anyone who was in this area during the time of the assault and heard or witnessed the crime is asked to contact Detective P. Beaver of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at 703-777-0475.