When they saw what appeared to be a sexual assault from their construction site, nearby construction workers jumped off their lifts and came to the victim's rescue Tuesday afternoon on the 300 block of East Johnson Street .
The 20-year-old victim was walking through the area around noon when a man approached and grabbed her, according to a Madison Police Department report.
“The man groped the woman, and began to drop his pants — under which he had no underwear,” the report said. “She began yelling for help.”
When the workers heard the woman’s calls, they intervened. One comforted the “shaken” victim while the other held the suspect at bay.
“The second man said the suspect was advancing on him, still with his pants down,” the report said. “Not knowing what was going to happen, the witness took out his keys and put them in-between his knuckles.”
The suspect fled, but police apprehended him a short time later. Police identified him as Kevin E. Kieren and are holding him on tentative charges of fourth-degree sexual assault.
Kiren has been arrested previously for lewd and lascivious behavior. In 2015, the Wisconsin State Journal reported he was arrested after dropping trou in an East Side hotel.
Both construction workers will be nominated for MPD awards, according to the police statement.
