WATCH ABOVE: Police are calling a sexual assault in north Edmonton “deeply concerning.” Fletcher Kent explains why.
EDMONTON – Police say a 21-year-old woman was sexually assaulted Tuesday night while walking in north Edmonton.
Around 8:15 p.m., officers were called to an assault in the area of 101 Street and 128 Avenue.
The woman was walking in the area when a man reportedly approached her.
“She was approached from behind by an unknown male who grabbed her, produced a weapon, dragged her into a nearby alley and sexually assaulted her,” said Staff Sgt. Shawna Grimes with the EPS Sexual Assault Section.
“The female was able to get to a residence and get help and police were called.”
The man ran away before police arrived.
The suspect is described as an aboriginal man of average height, weighing about 160 pounds. It’s believed he’s in his mid-20s and was dressed in dark clothes.
Grimes said sex assaults where the suspect is not known in some way to the victim is quite unusual.
“We have some concerns about the violence in this attack and the fact that a stranger would grab somebody off the street and commit this type of attack,” said Grimes, “the seriousness of it.”
She added the woman was taken to hospital but has since been released. The victim sustained non life-threatening injuries.
“There’s a great deal of shock when something like this happens to somebody and it takes a while for the full event to fully sink in.”
Grimes called the attack “deeply concerning” and is asking anyone who saw anything in the area from 7:30 to 8:30 to call police. She explained investigators will get more information from the victim when she’s ready.
“This is quite traumatic for the person involved and we need to allow her some time to recover before she can really be able to give us some details.”
The assault took place in a residential area, but it was dark at the time, said Grimes.
“We live in Canada and this is Edmonton – everybody should be safe. I don’t care what kind of day or night, we should be able to walk on the street.”
Anyone with information on this incident or the suspect is asked to call police at (780) 423-4567 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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