MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Police say teen fought off attacker near West Seattle High School

Dec 10, 2013, 5:09 PM | Updated: 5:39 pm

A teenaged girl walking near West Seattle High School was able to fend off an attack from a stranger who grabbed her Tuesday afternoon, according to the Seattle Police Department.

Officers were called to the school in the 3000 block of California Avenue SW around 1:11 p.m. on the report of an attempted abduction.

Detective Jeff Kappel said the 16-year-old girl reported that a stranger emerged from bushes along nearby Walnut Avenue and grabbed her arm as she was walking.

”She apparently reacted by striking him, breaking free and running off,” Kappel said. ”She ran to the West Seattle High School and reported the incident to staff, who subsequently called us.”

The victim is a student at the school, the department said. She was not injured in the attack.

The suspect is described as a white male in his 30’s to 40’s, 5’11″ to 6’ tall, with a medium build and shoulder-length brown hair. He was last seen wearing a blue zip-up jacket and black jeans.

Kappel said the attack does not appear to be related to a string of incidents involving a man who exposed himself to students near neighborhood schools.

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