Woman Sexually Assaulted In Brookline: Police

BROOKLINE, MA — Early this morning a woman reported she was sexually assaulted near the corner of Gibbs Street and Naples Road. Police are now asking for help finding the alleged assailant.

Just before 1:30 a.m. this morning a 20-year-old woman was walking with a friend from Alston along Gibbs Street when a man she described later as a clean shaven black man, approximately 5'7 and wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt. She told police he grabbed her and ran away when she yelled out. Police said she told them he turned onto Naples Road headed toward Comm Ave. The friend she was walking with told police it happened so fast it seemed like the man jumped out of the bushes. But the woman who reported the incident said she saw the man walking toward them.

The women called police about 10 or 15 minutes after the incident, according to police. Brookline police were unable to locate anyone matching that description and are working with Boston and Boston University police and looking for surveillance video in the area.

Deputy Superintendent Michael Gropman said the women did the right thing by using the buddy system and advises anyone walking home late at night to be alert.

"Be aware of your surroundings, walk in well lit places... and if you ever even sense something is off, call 911," he said. "That's what we're here for," he said adding the sooner the phone call the better following incidents.

Gropman added this incident did not appear related to other recent sexual assaults.

Police say anyone with information should contact the Brookline Police at 617-730-2222.

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Although most crimes were down in 2016 across Brookline from the previous year, there was in increase in rapes, from 1 to 6 according to Brookline police data. In four of the cases, the suspect knew the victim while in two of the cases, it was a stranger who they met the night of the incident. That was the only crime that increased in 2016, according to public data.

Between January 1, 2017 and June 25, there were three rapes reported and 49 assaults in town. Assaults are not broken down in the public police data to indicate which are sexual in nature. Last year there were 52 for this same time frame in Brookline.

Photo by Jenna Fisher/ Patch