Mounties say man with bra on head tried to stab stranger in Nanaimo, B.C.

A Nanaimo RCMP vehicle is shown. (CTV News)

Mounties on Vancouver Island are searching for a suspect who allegedly tried to stab a Nanaimo resident while he was walking his dog in the city last week.

The 44-year-old victim told police he was walking his large dog in a wooded area behind Northfield Rotary Lookout Park when he was confronted by a stranger wearing a bra on his head and wielding two knives, according to the Nanaimo RCMP.

The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. Thursday, when the attacker swung the knives at the man and tried to stab him, police said.

"In response, the dog lunged at the assailant and bit him on the right leg," Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson Const. Sherri Wade wrote in a statement Monday.

"The dog's owner, who is trained in martial arts, was able to incapacitate the assailant and take possession of the knives."

The suspect reportedly fled the scene with a red suitcase and a red mobility walker.

Police described the assailant as a white man between 30 and 40 years old with shoulder-length brown hair and dark clothing.

Patrol officers and police dogs searched the area near Northfield Road but could not locate the suspect.

"The investigation is continuing, and police are requesting that anyone with information about the suspect call the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345," the statement said.