Police release surveillance footage of person of interest in Red River trail sex assaults

WINNIPEG (CityNews) ─ Winnipeg police have identified a person of interest in connection with a string of targeted assaults on women along the Red River trail, including a 15-year-old girl.

The police’s sex crimes unit has released surveillance footage of a man believed to be a person of interest. In the footage, he is seen wearing all black pacing up and down a fenced-off area.

Police continue to investigate the five incidents of women between the ages of 15 and 30 being attacked at various points along the Red River Trail system over a four-month period, from April to August 2021.

The suspect is believed to have committed the assaults by grabbing the women from behind and threatening them with a weapon. Each assault occurred between the early evening and the early morning.

READ: Gender-based violence must be addressed after Red River sex assaults: advocate (Aug. 10, 2021)

Police have identified the area where the attacks took place: from the Osborne Bridge, south along Churchill Drive, to the Elm Park footbridge at Jubilee Avenue.

WPS say no further incidents have been reported since Aug. 8 due to increased police presence in the area.

In the weeks following the attacks, Winnipeg police were criticized for releasing a list of safety tips for women, which included not walking or running the trails alone, running without headphones, and telling someone else beforehand about their intentions to run.

Advocates have called for what they say are more proactive measures, such as adding lights along the Red River Trail system to make the area safer.

WATCH: Calls for change after attacks on women along Winnipeg’s Red River Trail (Aug. 11, 2021)