Edmonton police are searching for a man they say followed and sexually assaulted multiple women inside West Edmonton Mall last month and they think he's done it before.
The incident happened November 20th. A woman was riding an escalator when a man walked up behind her and squirted an unknown substance onto her back and buttocks. Police say the substance "resembled semen."
Gross. But it gets worse.
Not an Isolated Incident
After digging into it, investigators discovered the same guy had followed and approached around seven women that afternoon between 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Most of them had no idea it happened.
Police believe he was specifically targeting shorter women in their early 20s with dark hair who were walking alone. Pretty calculated.
"Our investigation suggests this suspect has likely done this before and we believe there may be other women who were not aware of the assault at the time and only realized after noticing their clothing was soiled," said EPS Const. Bryn Petch.
Who They're Looking For
The suspect is described as a white male in his 20s, around 6'4" with a medium build. At the time, he was wearing a red toque, red plaid jacket, and glasses.
Police say they have a person of interest but no charges have been laid yet.
"This Behaviour Is Unacceptable"
Staff Sgt. Christa Laforce from EPS's sexual assault section didn't mince words.
"Whether a substance is real or an imitation does not change the seriousness of what occurred. Acts intended to sexually violate, humiliate, or degrade another person will be treated as sexual assault."
If you were at West Edmonton Mall on November 20th or any other day and experienced something similar, police want to hear from you. Call 780-423-4567 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
