PALMETTO BAY, Fla. (WSVN) – Police officers have started a search for a man accused of attempting to rape a woman who was walking alone in Palmetto Bay.
According to Miami-Dade Police, the incident happened in the area of Southwest 168th Street and 91st Avenue, at around 10:30 a.m., Wednesday.
“A female walking down the sidewalk at 10:30 in the morning, the last thing she’s expecting is for a male to come out of a grassy area pointing a knife at her,” Miami-Dade Police detective Artemis Colome said.
Officers said a man armed with a knife came out of a field, grabbed a woman, started to drag her into the field behind some bushes and tried to take her clothes off.
The woman, police said, was able to fight off the man, run away from him and get away from the area in her car.
“Once officers were advised of the incident, they immediately came to the scene,” Colome said. “They located where the incident occurred and have been canvassing the area ever since.”
Aerial footage from 7Skyforce captured detectives in the field as they searched for clues. A nearby surveillance camera captured officers responding to the area after they received a call for help.
“The victim described the subject to be a Black male, tall, thin build and wearing all dark clothing, including a facial mask, a ski-type mask, that was also black in color,” Colome said. “We are talking about a person who has committed an attempted armed sexual battery, so we do consider him armed and dangerous.”
The incident happened down the street from two schools, which were both placed under a Code Yellow lockdown at around noon.
“It’s disturbing at any time of day, but especially in the middle of the day,” a neighbor said. “I’ve worked from home for years, and we’ve never had anything like this that I remember.”
Police said the victim did suffer some minor scratches and a cut, but she is expected to be OK.
If you have any information on this attempted rape, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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