Edmonton police released photos Wednesday of a man they describe as a person of interest in a number of indecent acts that have occurred over the last few months.
According to police, there have been 14 incidents since mid-July where a man has approached a woman and exposed himself, sometimes masturbating in front of them. Two incidents were reported on Tuesday alone in southwest Edmonton parks.
At around 4:40 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, a woman was walking in Buena Vista Park when she was approached by a man. She told police he accosted her before exposing himself. She was able to push the man away and he ran away.
Then, at around 5:30 p.m., police were told a man attempted to grope a woman while she was out for a run in Emily Murphy Park. Police said the man exposed himself to that woman as well, before running away.
Police describe the man as five-foot-six or five-foot-seven with dark skin, short facial hair and short, dark hair. It’s believed he is between 30 and 40 years of age.
Police said the attacks have been occurring on both sides of the North Saskatchewan River between the Dudley D Menzies Bridge and 105 Street and on the commuter platform at the Grandin LRT Station.
Police originally warned the public about these incidents on Sept. 5. At that time, police had received 11 complaints and were warning the public the man’s behaviour had been escalating from exposing himself and masturbating to groping the victims.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.