An Arlington woman who was walking home in the early morning hours Sunday from the Courthouse Metro station was able to defend herself against an attempted sexual assault.

The woman was walking home alone at 2:34 a.m. Sunday when an unknown man grabbed her from behind and forced her to the ground, according to information police have since released. The attack happened in the 2400 block of North Custis Road, about a quarter mile from the Metro station.

The attacker put one hand over the woman's mouth and attempted to remove her shorts with his other hand, police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said.

The woman bit the man's hand, causing him to recoil and allowing the woman to scream for help, Sternbeck said.

This scared the attacker, who ran away, he said.

Three people heard the screams and came to the woman's aid, Sternbeck said. No one saw the fleeing suspect, he said.

The woman then called police immediately.

The victim described her attacker as a 5-foot-7-inch tall man weighing about 200 pounds. He was wearing a white button-down shirt and blue jeans at the time of the incident.

"In most of our recent attacks, we see that females by themselves are more of a target than anybody in pairs," Sternbeck said. "So, that's why we urge individuals to travel with at least on other person."