Police are looking for a young man with a "distinct appearance" after an attempted sexual assault at Gyro Park Wednesday afternoon.
A female victim in her early 20s was near the washrooms at the Cadboro Bay-area park when she was approached by a man on a bike.
He engaged her in conversation for approximately 10 minutes then, without warning, grabbed her wrists and pulled her to the ground.
The suspect then attempted to put his hands down the woman’s pants, but the victim managed to push her assailant away and run to safety.
Police were called and officers searched the area but were unable to locate the man.
The man is described as having red hair and an albino-like complexion with red facial stubble. He's approximately 5'8" tall, 150 pounds and very skinny.
He was wearing a white T-shirt, faded blue jeans and black slip-on boots. He carried a dark-coloured backpack.
He also told the woman his name was Ryan.
At the time he was riding an orange mountain bike with an orange helmet.
"Because the guy's on a bike, really our focus is on the area around Cadboro Bay – north Oak Bay, Ten Mile Point, the university area. It's less likely someone's going to ride a bike across town," said Saanich police Sgt. Dean Jantzen.
Anyone with information on this suspect or who witnessed the incident is asked to call Saanich police at 250-475-4321 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.