Man allegedly sexually assaulted woman while walking dog in Markham

York Regional Police (YRP) are searching for a man who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman who was walking her dog in Markham last week.

The incident occurred just after 7 p.m. on May 4 on a path between Riverwalk Drive and Boswell Drive, in the area of ​​Highway 407 and the Ninth Line.

A woman was walking her dog when an unknown man approached her and asked to take a photo of the dog, police said.

“When the suspect pointed his phone at the victim, he demanded to take a photo of the victim holding his dog. “In doing so, the suspect touched the victim in a sexual manner without her consent,” they allege in a news release on Wednesday.

The woman fled and reported the incident to the police.

Officers went to the scene and searched for the suspect but were unable to find him.

On Wednesday, YRP released a photo and video of the suspect and asked the public for help in identifying him. They assume he is familiar with the area since he has already been observed there.

The suspect is described as a South Asian man, between 20 and 30 years old, 1.70 meters tall, with a thin build and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, blue jeans and gray and white shoes.

Police noted that the suspect “appeared to be holding a can of beer at the time of the incident.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7071 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or www.1800222tips.com.