HOUSTON – It was a brutal crime at the hands of a man pretending to be a source of protection.

Houston Police Department officials said on Monday night, a man dressed as a security guard at the District at Washington apartments on the 200 block of T.C. Jester Boulevard in Rice Military sexually assaulted a resident inside her apartment.

"It's definitely a concern that a lot of people have, I think," resident Jacob Smith said. "You know, you want to be safe, especially where you live."

The victim said the man was wearing what she described as a "cop" uniform and had a gun.

When she arrived at the building Monday evening, she said he approached her, told her he needed to escort her to her apartment and, once they made it there, he assaulted her.

Residents now say they are taking precautions to keep themselves from becoming victims.

"Luckily, I live with a dog already, so that's really helpful," Christian Henry said. "And then maybe carrying, like, mace and then being more physically ready. Things like that. Being more aware of when I walk around, what times I walk around."

Also concerning to residents is the fact that everyone KPRC2 spoke to said apartment management still has made no official announcement about the assault. Most learned either from a community social media page they follow or from KPRC2 reporter Keith Garvin as he was working on the story.

"There's a lot of people that live here, so it's hard to keep track of everyone, I think," Smith said. "That makes it difficult. So I think just, maybe having residents be more aware, too, of who lives here and maybe more outings to get know everyone a little bit."

Channel 2 made several efforts to reach the apartment's management via phone call and email but has yet to get a response.