Attacker choked woman in Southwest Philadelphia, police say

SOUTHWEST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police have arrested a man for a brutal assault on a woman in Southwest Philadelphia.

Investigators are now looking into the possibility he attacked another women days earlier.

It was around 12:40 Wednesday afternoon when the victim was walking down Larchwood Avenue and the suspect came up behind her, put a wire around her neck and began choking her.

A struggle ensued, causing the suspect to drop the wire. The victim then began to scream and the suspect allegedly grabbed her by the throat.

That's when a nearby task force saw the incident and responded, causing the suspect to flee. He was caught a few blocks away and positively identified by the victim.

The woman was taken to a nearby hospital by paramedics for contusions and bruising around her neck.

Investigators say the suspect was also wanted for another attack on the same street on Sunday. In that incident the suspect allegedly grabbed a woman's headphones and began strangling her with them. He then took $7 from the woman before fleeing.

Police have not identified the suspect, but say they plan to charge him with attempted murder and related offenses.