TRAVERSE CITY — A man who assaulted a woman as she pushed her young daughter in a stroller apparently did so in an effort to get some cans to return, police said.
The incident happened Saturday in the Cass Street pedestrian tunnel under Grandview Parkway. A woman, 31, was pushing her 9-month-old daughter in a stroller in nearby Clinch Park when the man approached and asked for the time. He left, and she walked away into the tunnel.
The encounter made the woman uneasy, Traverse City Police Capt. Steve Morgan said.
"She had a bad feeling about it," he said. "She had a can of pepper spray with her, and she decided to get it out."
About 15 feet into the tunnel, the man ran up from behind, grabbed the woman and tried to twist her around. She sprayed him with pepper spray as he yelled "I just want your returnables," Morgan said.
The woman had a few pop cans with her, Morgan said. She ran out of the tunnel and called police, who weren't able to locate the suspect.
The incident likely was very traumatic for the woman, Morgan said, considering it happened in a relatively enclosed space.
"When you have a female walking with her child like that and she's confronted in a physical manner, it can be a very dangerous situation, especially in a secluded area," he said.
The victim and her daughter weren't injured in the incident.
Police believe the suspect is a local homeless man. He is described as "very crazy" in nature with dark hair, average height and medium build.
"We have an idea who it is, we just haven't been able to find him," Morgan said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Traverse City Police Department's detective bureau at (231) 995-5152 or Silent Observer at (231) 947-TIPS.
Region
Police seek man in tunnel assault
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