A 16-year-old high school student is in hospital in serious condition while police hunt for the man who sexually assaulted her in Port Alberni on Tuesday.
The attack on the Alberni District Secondary School student was reported by the victim herself when she called police at approximately 5 p.m. Police say the assault took place in Rogers Creek Park.
The girl was was seriously injured and was immediately airlifted to Victoria General Hospital.
"We have been advised by the victim that the assault started in the area of the tracks [at Gertrude and Rogers street] and into the park," explained Cpl. Jen Allan, spokeswoman for the Port Alberni RCMP. "We believe she was the victim of a serious sexual assault."
Because of the seriousness of her injuries, the RCMP was only given a brief description of the suspect. He is believed to be an aboriginal man in his early to mid 20s. He was wearing dark clothing, a red ball cap and a backpack at the time of the attack.
Allan said no suspect has been identified or located, despite a rumour that the attacker jumped off the trestle in the area and died.
Allan said the local RCMP has requested assistance from the West Shore RCMP detachment because the victim is still in the hospital in Victoria. Allan said they have not received an update on her condition, but it is believed to be serious.
Allan said it is unknown if the attacker knew the victim.
"Because we do not have a complete picture of what happened or all of the details, it is considered a public safety concern," Allan said. "We want to warn members of the public to take necessary precautions to protect themselves, because we don't know exactly what we are dealing with.
"We don't often see these types of assaults occur here, especially to this extent.”
If you have any information that could lead to an arrest in this case, contact the Port Alberni RCMP at 250-723-2424 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
