Man arrested after woman fought off attempted sexual assault in Hillhurst

A passerby held a man until police arrived after a woman fought off an attempted sexual assault in Riley Park in northwest Calgary late Tuesday night.

It happened around 11 p.m. when a woman, walking through Riley Park with two friends, was approached by a man who asked to speak with her.

Once the woman was away from her friends, the man pushed her to the ground and tried to sexually assault her, ripping her clothes, police said in a release.

The woman fought off the man and alerted her friends, who chased the culprit.

A passerby saw what was happening and caught and detained the suspect, suffering minor injuries as he struggled with him.

The passerby and one of the woman's friends held the suspect until police arrived to arrest him.

"I believe by the actions taken, they certainly prevented further trauma to the victim," said Staff Sgt. Bruce Walker of the sex crimes unit.

"I would categorize this as random."

The suspect has been interviewed by detectives and charges are pending.

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