A man was arrested after reportedly luring a teen girl into the woods and assaulting her in North Seattle on Monday morning, Seattle police say.
SEATTLE — A man is in jail after luring a teenage girl into the woods and assaulting her in North Seattle on Monday morning, according to the Seattle Police Department.
According to police, officers responded to the area of Northeast 103rd Street and 5th Avenue Northeast around 9 a.m. for reports of a man dragging a girl to the woods. The suspect ran from the scene before police arrived and the teen girl was found with minor injuries.
“Today’s incident is unacceptable. Our children should be able to travel safely and enjoy their youth without fear,” said Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes. “As a community, we need to fully support our victims now and in the future. We need to prosecute those responsible for stealing our most vulnerable people’s sense of safety, and work together to stop this from happening again.”
The man reportedly lured the teen from a bus stop into the woods, where he assaulted her, police said.
First responders treated the girl and she was transported to the hospital for evaluation. Detectives with the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit also responded to collect evidence and investigate.
The suspect was found near Aurora Avenue North and North 115th Street approximately two hours later; police said the 35-year-old suspect had multiple warrants for his arrest from Snohomish County and Puyallup Municipal Court.
He was booked into jail for investigation of rape and kidnapping.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. Additional resources are available on the Washington State Department of Health’s website.
Additional resources are available through the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center at kcsarc.org.
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