A 14-year-old girl fought off an unknown man who attacked her while she was walking home from the train in South Seattle early this morning. The victim got off of the southbound light rail at Martin Luther King Jr. Way South (MLK) and South Henderson Street and started walking up Carkeek Drive South towards her home just after 1:00 a.m. As she climbed the hill she noticed a man she had seen on the platform following her. The adult male suspect soon caught up to the victim, grabbed her by the jacket, and tried to pull her to the ground. The victim didn’t lose her balance so the suspect pushed her onto the embankment and tried to pull her leggings off.
The victim punched the suspect several times while screaming. The suspect gave up the fight and fled the scene, running back down the hill toward MLK. The victim ran to a nearby house and called 911.
Officers flooded the area and both K-9 units and Guardian One assisted with the search for the suspect. The K-9 also checked several commercial buildings along MLK with negative results.
Officers combed the area for evidence where the struggle occurred. Officers also met with Sound Transit officials and reviewed video footage of the suspect and victim exiting the train. The video footage will be placed into evidence.
Officers interviewed the victim, who was uninjured, and then drove her home. Upon arrival, the victim’s mother was informed of what had occurred.
Suspect Information: A light-skinned East Indian male in his 30’s, 5’6″ to 5’7″ tall, medium build, short black hair and clean shaven. The suspect was last seen wearing a black Chicago White Sox hat, black leather jacket, white shirt, dark pants and dark shoes.
Anyone with information about this incident or who may know the identity or whereabouts of the suspect is asked to call 9-1-1 immediately. Anonymous tips are welcome.
This remains an active and on-going Sexual Assault Unit investigation.
Update: After reviewing surveillance footage, detectives do not believe cameras captured any images of the suspect.