Mounties are warning women in the South Surrey and White Rock areas about a pair of recent sex assaults that bear a number of concerning similarities.
The latest attack took place around 9:40 Monday night in South Surrey, where a 38-year-old woman was threatened and thrown to the ground by a stranger near the tennis courts in Alderwood Park.
The suspect tried to take off the woman’s clothes and drag her to some nearby bushes, but the victim fought back – head butting her assailant in the nose and scratching him several times – until she was eventually able to escape.
The woman called police but her attacker fled the area and officers have yet to locate a suspect. Cpl. Dale Carr said the individual may have tell-tale marks leftover from the incident, including a black eye or eyes, a broken or bloody nose, or scratches.
“If [you] know a male that has sustained these types of injuries please contact the Surrey RCMP Special Victims Unit,” Carr said in a statement.
The suspect is described as six feet tall, 35-42 years old, and dark haired. He was wearing dark, baggy pants with a large square belt buckle, a darky hoody with a string, and a dark baseball cap.
The sex assault follows a similar attack that took place in White Rock 10 days earlier, on Aug. 8, but the RCMP hasn’t made a direct connection between the two.
“We are not able to conclusively link the two investigations at this early stage,” Carr said, adding that resemblances have “caused our investigators to take notice.”
In the previous attack, a 40-year-old woman was walking her dog on Merklin Street around 3 a.m. when a stranger accosted her. Witnesses saw someone running away from the area with a small dog apparently giving chase.
The suspect in that assault is described as a white man, five-foot, 10-inches tall, 20-30 years old, with short, dark hair. He was wearing a black jacket and dark pants.
Anyone with information on either attack is asked to come forward by calling Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or the White Rock detachment at 778-593-3600. Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
