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Women escape abduction attempts just a few hours apart in Waterloo Region

File photo of police lights. Matt Rourke / The Associated Press

On the heels of a recent attempted abduction in the town of Wilmot, two women managed to escape abduction attempts nearby over the weekend, Waterloo Regional Police say.

The most recent event occurred in Waterloo on Sunday at around 2 a.m., when a woman was walking in midtown near King and Union streets and was approached by a man.

Police say he sexually assaulted her as he tried to force her into his vehicle. She broke free and ran away. The suspect took off in his car before officers were able to reach the scene.

The woman was left with minor injuries.

Police described the suspect as being five-feet-eight-inches tall, with a fit build. He was said to be wearing a white shirt and white hat.

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They say there were three other people in the car at the time of the attack.

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Just a few hours earlier on Saturday night, a woman was jogging near Brant Waterloo Road and Ayr Road North in North Dumfries when a grey SUV pulled up alongside her.

A man jumped out of the vehicle and attempted to pull her inside, according to police, but she broke free and ran off. The SUV was gone before officers reached the scene.

Police described the suspect as being middle-aged with dark hair. He may have been wearing a tracksuit.

Again, police believe there may have been others inside the vehicle during the attempted abduction.

A police spokesperson told Global News that on Monday morning officers were canvassing the areas involved as they attempt to find suspects.

She also said there is no evidence linking the two attacks with each other or with an attempted abduction in Wilmot on Aug. 13.

In that incident, a 50-year-old suspect is accused of going to a home near Hessen Strasse and Greenwood Road in Wellesley Township armed with a knife and attempting to force a woman into a vehicle around 11:30 a.m.

Police say the woman managed to escape after neighbours intervened and the suspect took off in a vehicle, which was later found abandoned.

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They say he took off into woods in the area, which led to a hold and secure being issued for five hours as a search was conducted.

An alert was subsequently issued for a man from Paris, Ont., and he was arrested a couple of days later in Niagara Region after being spotted and reported by a resident.

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