In the mid-morning hours of Wednesday, May 14th, a woman was jogging through Griffith Park in Los Angeles when she noticed a man following her. According to reports, the man began speaking to the woman in Spanish, and then attempted to sexually assault her. The woman escaped and the incident was reported to the LAPD at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning. the victim was taken to an area hospital after the assault to receive a medical evaluation, but she was not critically injured.
At the moment, the suspect is still at large.
Law enforcement officials are surprised to hear that the suspect attempted the assault in broad daylight. Most of the time, cases like this take place either before the sun comes up in the early morning hours, or after it has already gone down in the evening. As a result, the LAPD is warning hikers, joggers and other citizens to keep their eyes open for anyone acting suspicious, should they choose to visit the park.
Griffith Park is located in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles and covers over 4,ooo acres of land. It’s the second-largest city park in the State of California, behind San Diego’s Mission Trails Preserve, and the 11th largest city-owned park in the US. While the park is more or less safe, the large area it covers is difficult for law enforcement officials to cover all at once. As a result, crimes can and do happen in the area.
In order to stay safe, it’s best to always go with a buddy, or at least avoid the more remote areas of the park, such as the hiking trails, if you plan to go alone.
