Unidentified suspect sexually assaults 71-year-old woman

Suspect sketch courtesy SFPD.

Police are seeking the public's help in finding a suspect who sexually assaulted a 71-year-old woman in Visitacion Valley, the San Francisco Police Department announced on Monday.

Officers initially responded to reports of a sexual assault case on Mansell Street and Visitacion Avenue on Jan. 5 at 5:44 p.m. Police said they could not locate a victim, suspect or crime scene during their initial investigation, though a witness stated they saw an elderly woman being pinned down to the ground by a man. The witness said the man fled after he saw them. 

At 6:30 p.m., police heard a 71-year-old woman checked into a local hospital after being assaulted, and she said she was attacked near McLaren Park.

Upon officers meeting her, she stated she was walking by herself at Campbell and Visitacion Avenues when a man hiding in the bushes approached her. The suspect threw her to the ground, got on top of her and assaulted her "in a sexual manner," said police.

As the man pinned her to the ground, the woman said he bit her face. She heard voices scream out, and the suspect suddenly left. 

The woman then said she got up and flagged down a driver on Visitacion Avenue to call her husband, who took her to the hospital.

Police describe the suspect as a 5-foot-7-inch, Latino or other race man with a light complexion in his mid-20's. He has a "bowl cut" hair style, a stocky upper body with thin legs and was described to have an awkward gait.

SFPD urges anyone with more information to contact their 24-hour tip line at 1-415-575-4444. 

SEE ALSO: Family suspects sheriff's deputy recruit's killing was random act of senseless violence