Police are praising the actions of a young woman who fought off an abduction attempt after being assaulted by a stranger in north Nanaimo Thursday evening.
The woman in her early 20s was attacked at around 7 p.m. in the 6900-block of Dickinson Road, near May Richards Bennett Pioneer Park.
Police say she was walking on Dickinson Road after getting off a transit bus when he noticed a vehicle making strange turns.
The vehicle then approached her and a man exited and asked her for directions. While she was looking up the directions on her phone, police say the man struck her in the head with a blunt object.
The woman then managed to fight off her attacker and ran to the closest home, while the man followed her a short distance before getting back in his vehicle and driving away northbound on Dickinson Crossing.
The victim was treated in hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Police searched the area where the attempted abduction happened but did not find the man or his vehicle.
“The woman is to be commended for her actions and removing herself from a dangerous situation,” said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O’Brien. “Her recall was also excellent and it will greatly assist in furthering the investigation.”
Police say they’re now looking for a suspect who is white, between 50-60 years old with a scruffy face and grey or dark brown hair. He is described as being average height and weight.
His vehicle is described as a silver or grey newer-model Mitsubishi Outlander with Alberta licence plates, and the front bumper hanging off the front end of the car. The vehicle also had a display screen in its interior, police said.
Anyone with information or who lives in the area and may have surveillance footage or dashcam video is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 and quote file number 2022-9974.
A photo of the model of the suspect vehicle and map of the area where the incident occurred follows.
CHEK News
