Burnaby RCMP investigate after woman allegedly assaulted near SFU
Student was grabbed while walking alone on a trail Sunday night
Burnaby RCMP are investigating after a Simon Fraser University student was allegedly assaulted near the university's campus on Sunday evening.
Police said at a Monday news conference that the woman was walking alone on a trail just north of West Campus Road and University Drive around 8:30 p.m. when the suspect approached her.
According to police, the suspect allegedly grabbed her hand and she pulled away. She then headed to a parking lot and sought assistance from other people. The suspect approached her again and tried to talk to her before taking off in a car, a grey or black four-door Acura.
In an email circulated to students on Monday, SFU chief security officer Mark LaLonde described the incident differently, writing that "an unknown suspect approached her and attempted to pull her into the bushes."
LaLonde wrote that the university is cooperating with police and that SFU security presence has been increased on campus.
The suspect is described as a 19 to 24-year-old South Asian man who is clean shaven, with brown eyes, and wearing a black turban, a blue long-sleeve shirt, grey sweatpants and black sandals.
If you witnessed this incident, know who the suspect is, or have any information that would help police in their investigation, you are asked to contact Burnaby RCMP at 604-646-9999 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, or go to www.solvecrime.ca.