Burnaby RCMP investigating sex assault, unsettling incident on same night

Authorities are asking witnesses to come forward following a sexual assault in Burnaby, B.C., and another unsettling incident that happened on the same night.

Authorities are asking witnesses to come forward following a sexual assault in Burnaby, B.C., and another unsettling incident that happened on the same night. The sexual assault victim was walking near Royal Oak Avenue and Beresford Street when a stranger came up behind her and “grabbed her buttocks” last Thursday around 11:30 p.m., the Burnaby RCMP said in a news release. “The victim resisted and screamed, which caused the suspect to stop,” the detachment said.

“As the victim called 911, the suspect fled the scene.” Authorities have not identified a suspect in that assault. Around half an hour later, officers were called to a home on MacPherson Avenue near Beresford Street, where a suspicious man had reportedly approached the sliding glass door of a ground-floor apartment.

The suspect fled when a resident began banging on the window, authorities said. “We cannot currently say for certain if the two incidents are related,” Cpl. Mike Kalanj of the Burnaby RCMP said in a statement.

“However, we are asking anyone who saw the suspicious man in the second incident or witnessed the first incident to please come forward and speak to our investigators.” Investigators are also looking for any images or video relevant to either case, including from doorbell or dashboard cameras.