South Surrey woman fights off sex assault; police issue warning

South Surrey and White Rock RCMP are issuing a warning to women in the area following two similar stranger sex assaults.

The first assault happened last night at about 9:40 p.m. in the Alderwood Park in South Surrey, when a 38-year-old woman was walking near the tennis courts and was suddenly approached from behind by a male, according to Mounties.

The male suspect made threats to the woman, threw her to the ground and tried to take off her clothing. As the suspect attempted to drag the woman into the nearby bushes, she fought back and managed to head butt the suspect in the nose with the back of her head. The victim also managed to scratch the male suspect several times in various areas of his body.

The woman managed to get free from her attacker and call police. The suspect fled the area and has not been seen since the attack.

The Surrey RCMP Special Victims Unit are investigating the attack and the suspect is described as: male, approximately 34 to 42 years old, 6′ tall with dark hair. He was last seen wearing dark baggy pants with a large square belt buckle, a dark hoody with a string and a dark ball cap.

“The male may have sustained an injury during the attack, which may include a black eye(s), a broken or bloody nose, or scratches,” Surrey RCMP’s Sgt. Dale Carr says.

Police are asking anyone who knows a male with these types of injuries to please contact Surrey RCMP SVU.

The other sex assault being investigated by White Rock RCMP happened about 11 days ago, according to police. It was as during the Surrey RCMP’s investigation that they noted several similarities between the two cases.

Although there are similarities, RCMP are not able to “conclusively link the two investigations at this early stage,” Sgt. Carr says, but it has caused their investigators to take notice.

Anyone with information regarding these two sex assaults is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-TIPS.