Woman Jogger In Utah Stabs Groper With Knife, Police Searching For Suspect

Police in Salt Lake City have been requesting help from the public in order to identify a suspect, who was accused of groping a woman jogger near Liberty Park last week, reports said Wednesday. The incident reportedly occurred Nov. 10 in the area of 1700 South 500 East. According to Salt Lake City Police Detective Greg Wilking, an adult male allegedly grabbed a female victim who then fought back.

The woman, who is between the ages of 40 and 50, went on her daily jog Friday morning. She was jogging in the area of 1700 South 500 East around 6 a.m. EST when a male approached her from behind and allegedly groped her. Instead of running, the police said she fought back and stabbed the unknown man a few times with a knife she was carrying for safety.

Police mentioned they haven't received any information about the suspect's whereabouts or if he had visited any hospital for treatment. He was reportedly stabbed in the legs, chest and maybe the arm, with the most intense impact on his torso. Police have asked the public to notify the authorities if they notice someone with minor puncture wounds in those areas.

Wilking said the suspect has been described as a clean-cut white male, about 5’9 in height and weighing approximately 150 pounds, who might be a teenager or a man in his 30s. He was said to have been wearing a gray sweatshirt and carrying a backpack. It was not known whether he was from Utah. As it was dark out Friday morning, the victim could not get a better look at him, according to Salt Lake Tribune.

"We don’t want to rule anyone out, because we don’t have that great of a description in terms of age," Wilking said during a press conference.

He said they do have the victim's knife, which was used to stab the suspect, with blood on it and police are running the DNA tests.

"We’re not sure if it will lead to somebody in the system," Wilking said. "There’s a good chance if this person is under the age of 18, they may not have their DNA on file. We’re not going to wait on DNA alone."

Police said the suspect ran to a nearby bus stop after being injured, and the jogger continued to chase after him. He eventually escaped into an alley and she returned home to notify the police. The jogger was not injured. No other victim has come forward, but the police have requested people to report to the authorities if they have been similarly assaulted.

"We certainly don’t want another incident like this," Wilking said. "She doesn’t want to be identified at this time, but she wants to the public to know that this happened to her … and we need to get this guy off the street."

Wilking said it might probably have been adrenaline that led to her fighting back.

"Everybody who is out at night or in dark hours they should be prepared and aware of their surroundings. She was prepared. She took steps to be prepared. And on top of it, she fought back. We’re happy that it turned out well for her," he said. "She wants this guy apprehended," Fox 13 reported.