ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando police are searching for a man they said threatened to rape a woman who was out walking her dog in Lake Nona.
Officer said the incident happened Sunday morning at Laureate Park in Lake Nona between 6 and 7 a.m.
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A woman said she was walking her dog when she noticed someone walking toward her with the flashlight on his phone turned on. She said he started walking next to her and asked how long she’d lived in the neighborhood. She said he continued to follow her and make comments about her body.
When the woman said she told him she was uncomfortable and going to call a family member, the woman said he told her, “Next time, I’m going to rape you” before running away.
Police are asking for help identifying him.
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“This individual engaged in suspicious and unusual conversation leaving us to be concerned and wanting to know if others in this area have seen or had a similar encounter with this person,” officers said in a statement. “We are interested in understanding the intent of this individual and are working to determine if any laws were broken by his actions.”
The man is described as an adult male with brown curly hair and brown eyes. Officers said he is estimated to be in his 20s and approximately 5 feet, 9 inches tall. He was wearing a purple T-shirt and an unknown-color head bandana. Officers said he was driving a white four-door sedan.
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Officers said there’s been a pattern of this type of suspicious activity in the Lake Nona area of men approaching women in the early morning hours.
Officers are asking that if you saw the man pictured in the video or have additional information/video regarding the vehicle in the video, to call 321-235-3000 or contact Crimeline Florida anonymously at 1-800-423-TIPS(8477).
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) September 13, 2022
Channel 9 is reaching out to police for additional details. Stay tuned to Eyewitness News for updates.
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