Assault Victim: 'I've Never Felt So Vulnerable In My Life'
DENVER (CBS4) - A woman says she was attacked and nearly raped near East High School and popular East Colfax Avenue bars and restaurants earlier this month.
The woman, who asked only to be identified as a local nurse, says she was alone in an alley off East 16th Avenue and York Street on Monday, March 20, around 1 a.m. when a man came up from behind her, knocked her to the ground and pinned her.
He began groping her, and was attempting to rape her when he suddenly ran off, according to the woman.
"Either because I was fighting or resisting so much, he finally got off of me," she said. "Or that a car had pulled up."
The woman yelled to strangers in their vehicle as they drove by, who stopped and called 911. She went by ambulance to the Denver Health Medical Center where she learned she had suffered a head injury. She had two black eyes and scrapes and bruises on her hands and arms.
"I was bloody and there was dirt all over me and leaves in my hair," she said. "I've never felt so vulnerable in my life. I'm a strong person. I do things by myself all the time."
She shared details of what happened to warn other women her attacker has not yet been caught.
"It can happened to anybody," she said. "Nobody deserves to be attacked, and I just want people to be careful. I never would have thought this would happen to me."
She says Denver police have assigned a detective to the case and interviewed her about what happened.
At least one area business owner let her know its surveillance cameras may have captured images of her attacker, according to the woman.
CBS4 reached out to Denver police several times on Thursday for information about the case, but those calls were not returned.
Anyone with information regarding this crime or recognizes the suspect in the pictures is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867). You can text to CRIMES (274637) then title DMCS and enter your message or send an e-mail to metro-denvercrimestoppers.com. If the information you provide leads to the arrest and charging of a wanted individual, you can receive a cash reward up to $2,000.
Lauren DiSpirito reports for CBS4 News at 10 p.m. She covers breaking news and feature stories along Colorado's Front Range. Follow her on Twitter @CBS4Lauren. Share your story ideas with her here.
