Attack of teen was random: cops
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Updated: November 24, 2009 3:15 PM
The violent sexual assault of a teenaged girl on the weekend in Port Coquitlam was a random attack, according to police.
Sgt. Peter Thiessen of the Lower Mainland District RCMP said investigators are following up on tips from the public but they still need more.
“We’re still trying to identify the person of interest as well as the suspect,” he said.
Police said the 15-year-old girl was walking from the PoCo transit station on Kingsway around 1 a.m. Sunday when she was pushed into some bushes and assaulted near Tyner Street and Kelly Avenue.
Her attacker then fled and the girl walked back to the bus loop, where a transit security officer called 911. The girl was treated in hospital and released.
“This was a vicious, cowardly attack on this innocent 15-year-old girl,” Thiessen said.
Up to 20 officers are investigating the attack in an attempt to identify the suspect. Thiessen said they’ll be looking at any surveillance camera footage in the area and canvassing nearby businesses.
The suspect is described as a Caucasian man in his 30s with a tall, muscular build and broad shoulders, square jaw, large hands and a deep voice; he was wearing a grey zip-up hoody with the hood drawn over his face, blue jeans with a large belt buckle and a white t-shirt.
Police are also looking for a man who approached the girl in the parking lot of the Port Coquitlam recreation centre before the attack; he tried to engage her in conversation but she walked away. It’s not known whether the man was associated with the attack but Thiessen said they would like to speak with him as a person of interest.
The man is described as balding at the front with a deep voice, prominent cheek bones and normal teeth; he was driving a black, mid-sized vehicle in good condition, with a rounded body, silver trims with tinted back windows. The make and model are not known but it’s a newer model with four doors and it was last seen heading west on Wilson Avenue from the rec centre.
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
spayne@tricitynews.com
