Mission RCMP probe two abduction attempts involving women, seek info on suspect

MISSION — Mounties in Mission say they are investigating two reported abduction attempts involving two women that happened over a 24-hour period between Sunday night and Monday evening.

According to a statement from Mission RCMP spokesperson Corporal Harrison Mohr, police say sometime between 11 p.m. on Sunday, December 14, and 1 a.m. on Monday, December 15, a woman was walking along Logan Avenue in Mission, when a white SUV pulled up to her. Corporal Mohr says the South Asian male driver asked the woman to perform a sexual act, to which the woman refused and walked away. The driver then exited the vehicle and allegedly assaulted the woman, trying to pull her toward his vehicle. When she ran away, he followed in his vehicle and reportedly bear sprayed her. Police say she was able to get away and did not sustain any serious physical injuries.

A second related incident occurred at about 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 15 when another woman asked a bystander for help on 3rd Avenue between Murray Street and Horne Street. She told the bystander that a South Asian man in a white SUV had asked her to perform a sexual act, then attempted to drag her toward his vehicle. She also managed to get away without serious injury. The woman left before speaking with police, and officers have not yet been able to reach her for additional details.

Police advise both women belonged to a vulnerable sector of the community and it is not presently known if they were targeted as a result of these circumstances.