BERKELEY (KRON) — Police are looking for a person who they said is targeting and assaulting women near UC Berkeley, and they have released surveillance video of the suspect.
There have been three different attacks and the entire campus community–along with the city–are on edge.
Surveillance video shows the suspect’s face, although in not the best quality.
The first sexual assault in this string of three crimes was on Feb. 11, just after 9 p.m. on Haste Street.
In this incident, the suspect grabbed the woman from behind, pushed her to the ground and assaulted her.
On Tuesday, Feb. 16, two more were reported. One at 11:00 p.m. at night, near Durant Avenue and Ellsworth Street.
Then, about 20 minutes later, another happened on Benvenue Street. In this assault, the suspect grabbed the woman from behind and assaulted her, according to police. Police said it was not a rape.
The suspect ran away afterwards.
Police are still looking into whether the same person assaulted both women.
“It’s a high probability that they are” the same person, Berkeley police spokeswoman Ofc. Jennifer Coats said.
The suspect is described as a black or Indian guy, early 20s, about 6 feet tall, with dark curly hair or dreads pulled back.
His target is Asian, college-aged women, police said.
Coats gave four tips to avoid assaults. She said people out late should be aware of their surroundings, try to walk in well-lit areas, try to walk with friends and avoid texting or other distractions while walking. Coats said police don’t know whether the woman assaulted Tuesday
Coats said police don’t know whether the woman assaulted Tuesday was a University of California at Berkeley student. The woman assaulted Feb. 11 was a student at the university, according to police.
If you think you have seen the suspect, police want to hear from you.Bay City News contributed to this report