Mounties are investigating an alleged sexual assault that took place on a Nanaimo bus last month.
The Nanaimo RCMP says a young person was assaulted while seated near a window on a “very crowded” #40 bus — the Vancouver Island University Express — around 5:10 p.m. on July 11.
“An unknown male sat beside them, rubbed against them with his arm, and slid his hand down their hip and leg,” police said in a release Thursday.
The RCMP says the encounter ended when the victim picked up their bag in preparation to leave, at which point the suspect rang the ‘request stop’ buzzer and exited the bus on 5th Street at Shepherd Avenue.
Police are now asking for the public’s help identifying the suspect, who is described as a man in his late 20s to mid 30s, with brown hair, a beard, black glasses, and bright blue eyes. At the time of the incident, he was wearing black shorts, black flip flops, and a button-up white and orange patterned shirt.
The Nanaimo RCMP is asking witnesses or anyone with information about the suspect to contact police at 250-754-2345.