Police looking for possible connection in string of attacks

SEATTLE — As officers look into the possibility that one man may be responsible for several attacks on women in North Seattle, police released a sketch of a man in one of the attacks.

Four women have been attacked in Seattle neighborhoods within the past four days.  One of the victims was sexually assaulted.

The attacks against women -- all in their mid 30s to late 40s -- occurred in North Seattle, Greenwood, Green Lake and Northgate.

Seattle police spokesman Mark Jamieson said it is unusual to have so many attacks so close to one another.

On Friday night, a woman was sexually assaulted at knifepoint while walking home from the Northgate Mall.   Police released a sketch of the man Tuesday afternoon.  

Early Sunday morning, a woman was attacked as she was walking home in North Seattle from the bar, Leny's Place, on North 56^th Street.  In that case, a man tackled her, but when she fought back, the man ran away.

The most recent attack happened at Green Lake Park Monday morning when a woman was grabbed and a man tried to pull her behind some bushes as she was jogging, but a cyclist helped scare the man off.

In those three cases, the victims said the attacks were sexual in nature and gave very similar descriptions of their attacker – a white man in his 20s or 30s who’s between 5 feet 7 inches and six feet tall, 140 to 160 pounds with short brown hair and a medium build.

While the descriptions in three of the four attacks are similar, detectives said they have not yet developed any leads conclusively linking the incidents.

“The attack happened so quickly; it’s dark and the victims don’t often times get a good look the attacker,” said Jamieson.

Another attack occurred in the Greenwood neighborhood Sunday night when a woman was nearly kidnapped while walking home from a grocery store near 85^th and Third.

She fought off the attacker and the two men took off in a white van that had the letters XYF spray painted on it.

In that case, the two men were described as Hispanic.  The man who grabbed the woman was wearing a mask.

Seattle police provided these personal safety tips on their website to reduce chances of being a victim.

KIRO