Police Tuesday sought the public’s help to locate a possible witness to an attack on a San Bernardino County prosecutor who was on a morning jog in Bob Henry Park in Newport Beach when she was beaten unconscious.
The woman, whose name was withheld, was attacked about 5:40 a.m. on Aug. 31 near 16th Street and Seagull Lane.
Police would like to talk to a man who was seen riding a red beach cruiser bicycle in the area that day to see if he could provide any more details, said Jennifer Manzella of the Newport Beach Police Department.
“We’re really hoping with a little public outreach, this individual or someone who knows him will put us in contact with him,” she said.
The potential witness is white or Latino and was wearing shorts, a light- colored hooded sweatshirt and white shoes , Manzella said. He was last seen riding the bike toward Irvine Avenue.
The victim was unable to describe her attacker other than to say it was a man, Manzella said.
A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told City News Service on the day of the attack that the victim was about to give her closing argument in a gang-murder trial and may have been targeted by gang members.
The woman, barely able to walk, managed to stumble into a nearby gym to seek help. She was covered in blood, according to witness Ron Cary.
“Not a little blood. Covered in blood, like a bucket of blood was poured over her,” he told KCAL9. “She was in shock, she was frantic. She was all over the place, rambling. Her main concern was, `Are they here, are they here? Are they on their way, are they on their way? … And then the word `attack’ came out.”
Cary said he heard the woman tell arriving officers that she is a deputy district attorney in the Inland Empire.
“She said, `I’m in the middle of a murder trial. I’m on a murder trial and I was attacked from behind. Was I raped?’ because she was unconscious,” Cary told Channel 9.
Another witness told KCAL9 he saw a man on a bicycle following the woman before the attack.
Anyone with helpful information was asked to call Detective Joshua Vincelet at (949) 644-3790. Anonymous tips may be left by calling a recorded hotline at (800) 550-NBPD.
–City News Service