Police move closer to finding man connected to groping incidents

Seattle police have identified a man in connection with the groping of a woman in South Seattle on Saturday and say he could be tied to 22 similar attacks in the area over the past two years.

Lt. Jamie Koutsky said today that witnesses to Saturday's attack in the 7500 block of Renton Avenue South have picked the suspect out of a photo montage. Police were also led to the man through his vehicle, a green 1994 Jeep Cherokee, which witnesses say he fled in after the attack.

Officers are looking for the suspect in Saturday's attack, Koutsky said.

Koutsky wasn't certain whether officers have talked to the woman who was groped while walking with a toddler. The unidentified victim, described as an Asian or Asian-American woman about 40 years old, screamed when the man grabbed her; she then ran off, police said.

Police believe the man backed away after the woman screamed, but the sound drew the attention of several witnesses in the area. One witness to the attack tried to take photos of the man's car and license plate with a cellphone camera, but the suspect knocked the witness down and stole the phone, police said.

The suspect is described as black, about 5-foot-10, with light-colored shaving bumps on the left side of his face. Earlier descriptions were even more sketchy, and no one had previously provided a vehicle description.

Koutsky said this was the 23rd attack on girls and women in the area since August 2006. None of the victims, who range from teenagers to 52, was raped or critically injured in the attacks. Most were Asian or Asian American.

Police said the man normally runs off after the victims scream for help. Many of the attacks have occurred at bus stops.

Police said this is the first known attack since March, and the sixth since January, when two girls ages 13 and 14 were grabbed and chased.

The attacks have generated fear in several South Seattle neighborhoods. The Chinese Information and Service Center in Seattle has warned women about the attacks and even offered lessons on self-defense tactics. In March, when the center offered a community meeting about the attacks, more than 100 people attended.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com