A 17-year-old runner in Maryland fended off an attacker in a Montgomery County park yesterday, according to local authorities. The man stopped on Beach Drive to ask the teenager if she wanted a ride. When she refused, he grabbed her and attempted to sexually assault her.
The attack occurred in broad daylight, around 2:30 p.m. After the runner fought the man off, he hopped back in his car and drove north toward East-West Highway. Police are still searching for the assailant, described as a male in his twenties with dreadlocks. He was wearing all white at the time of the attack.
The teenager was taken to a hospital and is physically uninjured. Both the Maryland-National Capital Park Police and the Montgomery County police secured and canvassed the scene on Beach Drive. No arrests have been made, but the Maryland-National Capital Park Police said they would add additional patrol units to the area.
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Police say that anyone with information about the assault should contact the Park Police Tip Line at 301-929-2748 or crimetips@mncparkpolice.org.
Dan is a writer and editor living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and before coming to Runner’s World and Bicycling was an editor at MileSplit. He competed in cross country and track and field collegiately at DeSales University.
