Calgary police search for suspect in sexual assaults
Police say robberies, sexual assaults happened within weeks of each other
Calgary police are looking for a man they allege is connected to six robberies and sexual assaults in the city last month.
Investigators say they are looking into a string of six robberies and sexual assaults that occurred between Jan. 10 and 30 at businesses in the Montgomery, Chinook and Ogden areas.
WATCH | Calgary police released this video Wednesday:
In each instance, a suspect entered a personal-care business, demanded money and later sexually assaulted female employees at gunpoint, said Det. Timothy Fitzgibbon.
There were seven direct victims through six incidents, he said, and each time the suspect posed as a potential customer.
"[He] made efforts to determine if the victim was alone in the establishment prior to engaging in his crime," Fitzgibbon said.
Due to the nature of the offences, some victims were initially reluctant to come forward to police. Fitzgibbon said police are appealing to the man to turn himself in.
Fitzgibbon described the man as white, between 30 and 50 years old with reddish hair and beard, around six feet one inch tall and 240 pounds.
Fitzgibbon says the suspect was wearing a lightweight black and grey Columbia brand winter jacket, and black track pants at the time of some of the crimes. He has worn both running shoes and shorter black boots.
Police say he has been seen driving a black 2011 to 2020 Dodge Caravan SXT. The van has extra driving lamps on the lower front bumper area and upgraded mag rims.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 403-266-1234. Information can also be reported anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-847 or at calgarycrimestoppers.org.
We are asking for help to locate a man connected to six armed robberies and sexual assaults around our city last month.<a href="https://t.co/Q8hP8ZETxY">https://t.co/Q8hP8ZETxY</a><a href="https://t.co/3X9xBKb07M">https://t.co/3X9xBKb07M</a><a href="https://twitter.com/CanStopCrime?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@canstopcrime</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yyc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yyc</a>
—@CalgaryPolice