Middle-school-age girl fights off attacker while walking dog near Grace Hospital: Winnipeg police
Man wore balaclava with black mask over mouth, black jacket, black pants, black shoes
Winnipeg police are warning the public after a middle-school-age girl was grabbed by a man and fought to free herself while walking her service dog on Sunday evening near Grace Hospital.
The girl was walking south on Meadowlark Place toward Athlone Drive just before 8 p.m. when a man she didn't know approached from the south, grabbed her arm and started pulling her toward the street, police said in a news release Tuesday.
The girl told the man to stop, but he wouldn't and started kicking her protective dog.
She screamed and punched him, fighting her way free, at which point her mother, who heard the scream, came running and took her home, where they called police.
The man was seen running south toward the hospital.
It's not clear whether this was an attempted abduction, so police are investigating it as an assault at this time, Const. Claude Chancy of the police public information office said.
The man is described as about six feet tall, with an average build and bags under his eyes.
The man was wearing black pants with white stripes down the sides, black shoes with white or grey soles and a black jacket with white on the sleeves. He was also wearing a black balaclava with a black mask covering his mouth.
Investigators ask the public to help identify the man. Anyone who may have been in the area and have any information is asked to contact the child investigations unit at 204-986-3296.