A Richmond woman is warning the public to be wary, after a male on a bike committed an act of indecency in front of her in a public park in broad daylight.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said she parked her vehicle in South Arm Park’s parking lot - which is close to the community centre and two schools - on a Sunday afternoon to take her dog for a walk.
She said she started to walk her dog into the park, heading towards the tennis courts, when she spotted the male sitting on the bike near the park entrance.
The woman didn’t pay too much attention to what he was doing, at first, before she decided to turn back to the parking lot because her dog didn’t like the cold.
However, it was then that the cyclist began to follow her, cycling upsides her and trying to catch her eye.
Woman tried to walk away from suspicious male on bike
“I became a little concerned as he was around two metres away from me and within my personal bubble,” she told the Richmond News of the encounter on Nov. 20.
“I walked past my car and I started to cross to the other side of the parking lot to get away from him…because I thought maybe he wanted to rob me.
“As I reached closer to the other side of the parking lot…the male circled in front of me.
“He was following me and he had his pants zipper down and was publicly violating himself.”
The woman said she was “shocked and scared and didn't know what to do” so she picked up her dog and ran towards where she spotted other people.
“I made it to the fenced-in dog, where there were two women who told me to call the police.”
Woman hopes someone can identify cyclist
The woman said six police officers arrived in less than 15 minutes and it was then that she realized that her parked Tesla’s dashcam had recorded some of the incident.
She said she’s not sure whether the officers were able to track the suspect down and that, by yesterday, she hadn’t heard any update from police with regard to any investigation.
“What I hope is that the community is warned about this pervert and to be on the lookout or wary of his potential presence,” she added.
“I am also hoping the community of Richmond may be able to identify this male. I had felt safe in my community and at South Arm prior to this incident, and (I’m) now traumatized and no longer wish to go to my favourite park.
“…South Arm is such a family-orientated park…I am worried this could happen again to a child.”
The woman said she has alerted the nearby South Arm Community Centre and McRoberts secondary about the incident.
Richmond RCMP confirmed it was investigating the incident and said the suspect is described as being in his early 20s, wearing a dark hoodie, khaki pants, and around 172 cm tall.
Anyone with information on the incident is urged to contact the Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212 and quote file #2022-31943.
