Man arrested for multiple sexual assaults near Center City, police say

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Police say they have arrested the man wanted for several assaults in and near Center City on Wednesday.

Dynel Walker, 37, was arrested in Horsham, Montgomery County, outside of a Sam’s Club, where he was charging his phone, according to police.

“I’m glad that we were able to catch him and get him off the streets,” said Capt. Margo Alleyne-Parker of the Special Victims Unit.

Earlier Wednesday, police said a tip led them to identify Walker as a suspect.

“We were able to identify the suspect rather quickly, especially with the help from the citizens of Philadelphia,” Alleyne-Parker said. “It’s a shame that when you’re walking around, you have to always keep your head on a swivel, but it’s something that we tend to have to do in this day and age.”

Police initially reported five sexual assaults Monday, but said they had since learned of a sixth, which happened just after 2 a.m. near 17th and Lombard streets while a woman was walking home from a bar.

The other five incidents were reported at various times and locations over two weeks.

The first was reported July 18 in the 1900 block of Spruce Street. Police said the victim was walking her dog before 7 a.m. when the suspect approached her and sexually assaulted her. The second happened July 19 in the 2000 block of Delancey Street, where the victim reported being assaulted while trying to enter her apartment building.

The other two alleged assaults happened over the weekend. One occurred Saturday at 8:15 a.m. in the 1600 block of Waverly Street, and another took place Sunday around 1 a.m. in the 400 block of South 15th Street.

Alleyne-Parker said Walker has an extensive criminal background with at least 21 prior arrests, including charges involving narcotics, but none for sexual assault.

She said that Walker could be responsible for additional sexual assault incidents within the city.

“We’ll still have to look into some of the jobs that we have because some of the descriptions were very vague, but hopefully with this arrest, we’ll have more people coming forward,” Alleyne-Parker said.

Editor’s note: Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resource Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673.