The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department is searching for a male suspect in an early morning attack Tuesday of a young woman behind an apartment complex in Isla Vista.
Sheriff’s deputies responded about 1:25 a.m. to a report of an attempted sexual assault in the 6500 block of Seville Road, according to Sheriff’s Department spokesman Drew Sugars.
A few minutes later, a female victim reported walking to the back of her apartment complex to throw away garbage when a man grabbed her and put a knife to her neck. The victim told detectives there was a brief struggle and that the suspect tried to remove her clothes.
The victim broke free, and the suspect ran away, according to Sugars. He said the victim was treated for a cut on her leg.
The suspect is described as a white college age male, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, and wearing a dark sweatshirt and jeans.
Sugars said detectives recovered a metal pipe with PVC caps on both ends near the scene. The bomb squad was called, and four apartments were evacuated. The pipe was deemed safe after about 2½ hours, according to Sugars. He said that at this time there’s nothing linking the incidents.
Anyone with information about either case is asked to call sheriff’s detectives at 805.681.4150 or the Sheriff’s Anonymous Tip Line at 805.681.4171.
— Noozhawk managing editor Michelle Nelson can be reached at mnelson@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
