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

By Rachael Perry

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    PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (WPBF) — In two separate incidents, two women reported being assaulted by a stranger while walking their dogs.

The first incident happened around 9 p.m. on May 18 in West Palm Beach. Just about 12 days later on May 30, a woman reported a similar incident on Singer Island.

According to a police report filed with the West Palm Beach Police Department, a woman called 911 saying she was assaulted while walking her dogs. Officers responded to the 800 block of Brandon Prescott Lane, where the victim told police the man approached her and asked to pet her dogs.

According to the police report, the woman allowed the man to pet her dogs, but she said the man then reached up and assaulted her. The victim told police she screamed, and the man ran off.

She described the man as a white male approximately 30 years of age, skinny build, approximately 160 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 investigating, but the woman stopped responding to officers, and the case was ruled inactive.

Less than two weeks later, a woman on Singer Island called the Riviera Beach Police Department, reporting an assault.

WPBF 25 News spoke with the victim, Lauren, who said 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 said.

Lauren said 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 said ‘Oh, hey, what kind of dog do you have? That’s a cute dog. What is her breed?’ and he wanted to pet her,” Lauren said.

She said 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 told the guy, ‘Have a good night.’ He was in the middle of the road, and he said, ‘Oh, wait, wait, wait, what’s your dog’s name again?’ I said, ‘Betty Boop and I’m Lauren, have a good night.’ And he’s like, ‘Good night, Betty Boop.'” Lauren said.

She said 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 said.

She said the man let go for a second, and she turned around and quickly noticed his pants were down and he was exposing himself. Lauren said 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 told WPBF.

She was able to get one hand free and began hitting her front door to get her dad’s attention. She said 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 said.

She called 911 and reported the assault to the Riviera Beach Police Department.

A spokesperson for the Riviera Beach Police Department told WPBF 25 News that they are actively investigating and working hard to track down the man who attacked Lauren.

Lauren said the police department has been extremely helpful during this time and even came by to help her install a security camera.

She said the man was of average height and weight and likely in his 20s. She said he had big curly bangs coming out of his black hat and was wearing prescription glasses.

Lauren said he was dressed nicely in a button-up shirt. She also said he had very tan skin and rounded cheeks.

After a few weeks had passed, Lauren said she was starting to feel like herself again.

“I’m feeling back to normal, but I was terrified. I had some nightmares, and I woke up screaming twice, and I couldn’t sleep very much,” she said.

While the incident took a toll on her both physically and mentally, Lauren said she found 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 said.

Lauren is now encouraging others to be aware of their surroundings and take steps to protect themselves.

“Have it in your hand and what the detective told 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 said.

She also wants to thank all her neighbors for their kind words and support following the scary incident, and the police department for all their help.

Riviera Beach police say the case remains active, and authorities 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 report any suspicious activity.

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