RCMP are in need of public help to find witnesses and locate a suspect who allegedly assaulted a woman jogging in a north Nanaimo park.
The incident occurred just after 11 a.m. on Tuesday,November 9th on a trail in Linley Valley off Burma Road.
The woman told Nanaimo RCMP that a black dog, possibly a standard poodle or similar breed with a cropped tail, approached the woman and accidentally tripped her.
The woman called out to the owner of the dog who appeared to also be jogging.
That is when the man stopped running and came back to where the woman was and “violently” pushed her to the ground,” a media release read.
She managed to snap a picture of him which enraged him more. He then aggressively held her arms which caused her to scream. At this point, police said he broke off the attack and was last seen running along the trail with his dog.
The man is described as 30-40 years old Caucasion man. He has a slim build, short blond or brown hair, and clean shaven. He was wearing a blue long-sleeved athletic shirt, dark shorts, ball cap and hydration pack.
“This is a concerning event in that this attack, by an athletic male on a female, appeared unprovoked,” said Const. Simon Gallimore, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman. “Stranger-on-stranger assaults are rare and police would like to identify this suspect in order to safe-guard the public and further the investigation.”
Police ask anyone who can identify the suspect to contact Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345.
