Burnaby RCMP say they are stepping up patrols on local trails as they continue their investigation into a string of sexual assaults.
They are now investigating five different assaults since the end of January.
Two of the attacks happened on trails, including the most recent on Sunday afternoon.
A woman was sexually assaulted on a popular trail near the Lake City SkyTrain station. A Good Samaritan managed to scare off the suspect and the victim was taken to hospital for treatment.
That Good Samaritan has now come forward and is working with investigators on the case.
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The suspect in Sunday’s attack is described as a white male who is 5’7”. He was wearing a dark-coloured hoodie pulled over his head at the time of the attack.
The attack came one day after an assault on Holdom Avenue on Saturday night.
Three other assaults have taken place in Burnaby in recent weeks.
RCMP aren’t saying if they think all the attacks are connected to one suspect.
RCMP Staff Sgt. John Buis says the attacks are similar in suspect description, but they are different in the amount of violence involved.
“I am very concerned,” says Buis. “I want to make sure that when people go out at night, particularly women, they go in groups or at least stay in well-lit areas.”
Police have assembled a task force and are working with other police forces to see if the attacks are connected to other sex assaults in the Metro Vancouver area.
On Sunday night, a 16-year-old boy was arrested following two sexual assaults in the Oak Street area of Vancouver.
-With files from Jon Azpiri
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