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Police searching for serial attacker in Ann Arbor; incidents date back to February

Posted at 11:35 AM, May 31, 2023
and last updated 2023-05-31 18:13:31-04

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — Ann Arbor police are searching for a suspect in connection to a series of attacks in the city that date back to February.

Ann Arbor police were notified Wednesday morning about an incident involving a 23-year-old female who was assaulted by a man the day before.

Police say on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in the 1700 block of Broadway Street in Ann Arbor, an unknown man approached the female victim from behind and grabbed the left side of her hip. The man, police say, left the area in a gray sedan that was parked on the street.

Police say the suspect is a white male who may be in his 20s and is between 5’6” to 5’8” in height. The suspect has a full beard and brown/red short hair and was last seen wearing a blue t-shirt.

Police say the suspect description matches the description of the suspect in several similar incidents that occurred within the same time frame on the University of Michigan’s North Campus.

The first happened on Hubbard near Murfin around 3:30 p.m., where a woman said she was walking on the sidewalk when a man groped her through her clothing. She reportedly struck him with her umbrella.

There were also two other incidents around 4:30 p.m. The first happened to a female student who was walking near parking lot NW10 when a man approached him and stimulated himself with his genitals exposed. Shortly after, another female student reported that while walking in the same area, a man exited his car with his pants around his knees and genitals exposed.

Ann Arbor police began investigating incidents when they began in February, with two different situations on Feb. 26. The first, at 4:25 p.m., happened when a man pulled up on a 25-year-old woman who was walking. Police say the man groped her and then exposed himself to her and touched himself.

Then, at 4:30 p.m., a 22-year-old woman said she was walking to the bus stop in the area of Lake Lila Dr. near Plymouth when someone tried to grab her, then the suspect groped her and attempted to pull her toward his vehicle.

If you have any information about any of these incidents, contact Ann Arbor police at 734-794-6920 or email the tip line at tips@a2gov.org.