The Orange County Sheriff’s Department invited Rossmoor residents to a community meeting at the Rossmoor Park Community Center on Thursday night to discuss the recent incident in which a female jogger was violently attacked and wounded. Representing the Criminal Investigation Bureau was Captain Adam Powell, who assured the overflow crowd that a large team of investigators was working hard to crack the case using various techniques, from forensic analysis to K-9 units to undercover officers.
Around nine o’clock on Tuesday evening, a woman was jogging in the area of Bostonian and Montecito when a male subject approached her from behind and stabbed her in the cheek. Despite being wounded, she fought back against her attacker, who fled after a neighbor came out and yelled. The subject then fled on a BMX-type bike.
The suspect is described as a male Hispanic in his early twenties, 5’7″ to 5’9″ tall.
Investigators have yet to determine a motive, though they were fairly certain it was not an attempted sexual assault. “At this point, everything indicates this was a random act,” Powell said.
Both uniformed presence and plainclothes surveillance have been increased since the attack, but caution was still advised for members of the public. Crime prevention specialist Deputy Anita Pattanaik gave the assembly several important tips to help keep them safe, such as being aware of your surroundings, making eye contact with those around you, and reporting strange vehicles.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help in this case. Anyone with information should contact the Sheriff’s Department or give a confidential tip to the 24-hour hotline Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.
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Captain Adam Powell addresses an overflow crowd at Rossmoor Park Community Center.