The North Vancouver RCMP has put out a warning to women after a couple of brazen groping incidents in the Central Lonsdale area, saying they suspect there may be more victims.
The first attack happened on Jan. 11 at approximately 6 p.m., when a male approached a female while she was walking northbound in the 1700-block of Lonsdale Avenue. The perpetrator grabbed the woman from behind, put his hand between her legs and groped her.
Then on Jan. 19 at approximately 2 a.m. a male approached a female while she was walking eastbound in the 100-block of East 15th Street and grabbed her buttocks once. In both cases the male suspect ran off after accosting the female.
“After they (the victims) screamed or were startled, the perpetrator ran away,” said Cpl. Richard De Jong, North Vancouver RCMP spokesman. “They (the victims) were obviously traumatized by the incident and did report it to police – and we are suspecting there may be other victims out there that haven’t reported it.”
Police are not releasing the age of the young female victims, except to say they are not high school students, and are asking women of all ages to remain vigilant and be aware of their surroundings.
Of particular concern is that the gropings took place in high-traffic areas, including one that happened around the corner from the police station.
“This person obviously has no concern for whether it’s residential or business and maybe there was nobody else on the street, was this person being stalked – these are all questions that we’re looking into and seeing if there are any cameras in the businesses that can capture that,” said De Jong.
In both incidents the suspect was described as wearing a black hoodie. One victim described her attacker as a Caucasian male in his 30s, medium build, approximately six feet tall with dark hair. In the other incident, the suspect was described as five foot eight, wearing light coloured jeans, running shoes and a hoodie with a logo on the back.
While police cannot confirm a direct connection to both assaults, investigators are looking into that possibility given the close proximity of the incidents.
Police are treating the files as “a priority” and are putting extra resources into the hunt for the perpetrators, calling upon a sex crimes unit along with other crime analysts for assistance.
As for whether or not there will be stepped up patrols in the areas where the assaults took place, De Jong said there is already a police presence there.
“I mean that’s an area that is so close to the police station that we are generally patrolling that area anyway,” said De Jong.
Police are advising women to trust their instincts, be aware of their surroundings and if at all possible travel in pairs, especially if they are out walking late at night.
Anyone with information on the cases is asked to call the North Vancouver RCMP at 604-985-1311 or call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
