Aug 19, 2008 10:50 pm US/Pacific
Santa Cruz Police Seek Rape Suspect; May Be French
SANTA CRUZ (BCN) ―
Santa Cruz police are trying to locate a man, possibly a French citizen, who raped a woman in the city early Saturday morning.
Police received a report around 12:40 p.m. Saturday of a sexual assault that had happened earlier that day, police spokesman Zach Friend said.
The victim, a 23-year-old woman from Contra Costa County, told police she was at Rosie McCann's, a bar on Pacific Avenue, when she met a man who introduced himself as "Pierre" and had a strong French accent.
The two went outside and walked to the west side of the river levee, where the man held the victim down and raped her. Two witnesses heard her screaming and disrupted the assault, at which point the man fled.
The suspect is described as a white man in his mid-20s, around 6 feet tall and weighing 180 pounds, with brown hair and eyes and slightly crossed front teeth, according to police.
Witnesses told police that at least two men had entered Rosie McCann's using French passports.
Anyone with information about the rape or the suspect is asked to contact the Santa Cruz Police Department Investigations Section at (831) 420-5820, or call the tip line at (831) 420-5995.
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