A 23-year-old Winnipeg man was arrested Monday for a June sexual assault — and after a close call shortly before officers caught up with him, police say.
Police have linked the man to a playground incident June 1 on Flora Avenue, in which they say a suspect grabbed a child and touched her in a sexual manner.
The victim in that incident was able to break free, run home and tell an adult, who contacted police — who circulated a description of the suspect and continued to investigate.
On Monday, officers were called to a park on King Street about a man who was asking to take a picture of a child. A concerned adult followed the man and called police.
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Const. Dani McKinnon told 680 CJOB that officers recognized similarities between the descriptions of the man in the Monday incident and the suspect from June 1.
“Certainly the descriptors were very, very similar, and some other accounts from some other witnesses during the ongoing investigation were very helpful,” McKinnon said.
“There were some similarities in the way the suspicious man had approached the children back on (June) 1 and as well as on this most current event.”
The suspect was picked up at a Jarvis Avenue home a short time later and turned over to the child abuse unit. He faces charges of sexual assault and sexual interference for the June incident and remains in custody.