‘It was like an ambush’: Two women report being assaulted while walking their dogs

PALM BEACH COUNTY Florida WPBF In two separate incidents two women disclosed being assaulted by a stranger while walking their dogs The first case happened around p m on May in West Palm Beach Just about days later on May a woman published a similar development on Singer Island According to a police overview filed with the West Palm Beach Police Department a woman called saying she was assaulted while walking her dogs Officers responded to the block of Brandon Prescott Lane where the victim communicated police the man approached her and sought to pet her dogs According to the police summary the woman allowed the man to pet her dogs but she explained the man then reached up and assaulted her The victim narrated police she screamed and the man ran off She described the man as a white male approximately years of age skinny build approximately pounds with no visible scars tattoos or marks The male was wearing a purple shirt with Staff in white lettering on the back with unknown color shorts The male had light brown hair that was slicked back and appeared greasy The victim stated that when the male spoke he had an accent and did not have good English WPB officers began assessing but the woman stopped responding to officers and the situation was ruled inactive Less than two weeks later a woman on Singer Island called the Riviera Beach Police Department reporting an assault WPBF News spoke with the victim Lauren who reported the assault happened near Yacht Harbor Drive while she was walking her dog Betty As soon as I turned that corner my Betty Boop started alerting me about the second house and let me know somebody was back there She s putting the brakes on it and looking back Lauren stated Lauren stated she ignored the alert and continued walking when she noticed a man behind them He caught up to me and he seemed like a nice guy looked clean cut you know and nice clothing on and everything He just mentioned Oh hey what kind of dog do you have That s a cute dog What is her breed and he craved to pet her Lauren declared She mentioned Betty her dog didn t like the man and Lauren got a bad feeling She debated if she should walk up to her house or keep walking to avoid showing him where she lives I explained the guy Have a good night He was in the middle of the road and he stated Oh wait wait wait what s your dog s name again I declared Betty Boop and I m Lauren have a good night And he s like Good night Betty Boop ' Lauren revealed She explained the man walked on while she approached her front door I got to the door and all of a sudden I didn t hear anything I didn t know he was coming I just I was already at my door and he grabbed me from behind It was like an ambush she announced She revealed the man let go for a second and she turned around and promptly noticed his pants were down and he was exposing himself Lauren explained he then grabbed her again I was trying to process what was happening I was just in shock and then he grabbed me again and then I started screaming for my dad Lauren explained WPBF She was able to get one hand free and began hitting her front door to get her dad s attention She mentioned after doing that five or six times the man ran off and her dad opened the door It happened so fast that I was just trying to process what just happened and then I realized that it s the guy from the street and I m trying to think is he robbing me Is he trying to murder me Like is he trying to rape me Like what the heck is happening Lauren stated She called and published the assault to the Riviera Beach Police Department A spokesperson for the Riviera Beach Police Department notified WPBF News that they are actively analyzing and working hard to track down the man who attacked Lauren Get the latest news updates with the WPBF News app You can download it here Lauren disclosed the police department has been extremely helpful during this time and even came by to help her install a protection camera She stated the man was of average height and weight and likely in his s She stated he had big curly bangs coming out of his black hat and was wearing prescription glasses Lauren revealed he was dressed nicely in a button-up shirt She also mentioned he had very tan skin and rounded cheeks After a sparse weeks had passed Lauren explained she was starting to feel like herself again I m feeling back to normal but I was terrified I had specific nightmares and I woke up screaming twice and I couldn t sleep very much she commented While the situation took a toll on her both physically and mentally Lauren reported she detected a silver lining At first I thought well the guy took away a week from me then I thought you know what Silver lining he gave me a week to spend with my dad and I wouldn t have done that if I had been on my normal working schedule she commented Lauren is now encouraging others to be aware of their surroundings and take efforts to protect themselves Have it in your hand and what the detective informed me was keep a firm grip on it so they don t knock that out of your hand and then all of a sudden they can use it on you or you just can t even use it to begin with she disclosed She also wants to thank all her neighbors for their kind words and aid following the scary affair and the police department for all their help Riviera Beach police say the incident remains advancing and executives are working to identify the suspect Anyone with information is urged to contact the Riviera Beach Police Department and residents are advised to stay alert and record any suspicious activity