Ottawa Police are looking for the public’s help to catch a man committing indecent acts in the city.
Police say the same man might be responsible for up to 10 reported incidents in October and November.
They have occurred in an area west of downtown, bordered by Richmond Road, Caldwell Avenue, Churchill Avenue and Fairmont Avenue.
In most cases, a man drove up beside a woman who is walking alone in the evening hours. The man got the woman’s attention by asking questions. Then he performed what police describe as an indecent act of a sexual nature before driving away.
The victims have provided variations of the same basic description. The suspect is described as a male of Middle Eastern descent, 20 to 30 years of age, with a stocky to heavy build, dark hair and a beard. He was driving a silver or grey-coloured, small-sized SUV.
Police are reminding the public to call immediately if an incident occurs. No incident should be considered too small to report. The more reports they receive, the better they can identify trends and patterns.
Police also caution the public to be vigilant. If a person is following you in a vehicle, take out your phone or a pen and paper and write down the licence plate information. Make sure the driver sees you doing this. Also try to document as many details as you can about the description of the driver and the vehicle. Then contact police as soon as possible.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ottawa Police Service Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 5944. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or downloading the Ottawa Police app.
