Police seek sexual assault suspect in Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa police are seeking a man suspected of sexually assaulting a woman in a west Santa Rosa apartment complex late Sunday.

A 27-year-old woman told police a stranger ran up to her and pushed her to the ground as she was walking to her vehicle in the parking lot of an apartment complex on the 1000 block of Jennings Avenue around 10:50 p.m., Santa Rosa police said in a statement.

The man shoved his hand up the woman's dress and touched her “in a sexual manner,” police said. He ran away when the woman screamed.

The woman was taken to a local hospital for a medical evaluation, according to police. She also had minor scratches and bruises, Lt. John Cregan said.

Detectives Monday contacted neighbors and reviewed surveillance video from the area. Based on images from the security cameras, the suspect is described as a 25- to 35-year-old Hispanic man with black or brown hair who is 5-feet-10-inches tall and about 180 pounds.

(Video courtesy of the Santa Rosa Police Department)

The incident is still under investigation, but no other similar sexual assaults were reported in the area, Cregan said.

A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered by the Sonoma County Alliance's “Take Back Our Community” program for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect, police said.

Those with information about the case or the identity of the suspect are asked to call the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault tip line at 707-543-4040.

You can reach Staff Writer Hannah Beausang at 707-521-5214 or hannah.beausang@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @hannahbeausang.