As North Park residents remain on edge after a series of violent assaults in the community, one Uptown resident says she may have come face-to-face with the suspect wanted in the attacks, right in her own alleyway.
Andrea Gibson told NBC 7 she encountered a strange man in the alley by her City Heights home on Aug. 31 – just three days after a sixth assault was reported in North Park.
The interaction, she said, was extremely odd and gave her chills.
Gibson said she left home around 9 p.m. to go out with some friends, walking through her front gate and out to an alley where she always parks her car.
As she locked her gate, a strange feeling came over her.
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“I was very much on edge with all of the news about the attacks in the neighborhoods,” she explained. “I felt a sense of uneasiness. I stopped, listened, shut the door.”
“I get into the vehicle – one foot in, one foot out – take my purse and put it in the seat. I look up and there is a guy standing right there,” Gibson explained, pointing to an area near her car.
As she got in the car, Gibson said the man started walking toward her, with his hands reaching toward the vehicle.
She said nothing, while he asked her whose car was parked next to hers.
She said they stared at one another for a moment and then the man bolted from the alley.
“It alarmed me,” she said. “I don’t know where he came from; there’s no reason why he should’ve been there.”
After the man ran away, Gibson called 911. She figured it was her duty to report the incident, given the recent assaults in the Uptown area.
Gibson said the man she saw in the alley looked young. He appeared clean-cut, wearing a blue shirt and khaki shorts. His hair was cut short.
After giving the man’s description to police, Gibson went back and read up on the assaults in North Park. She said her description of the man in the alley was “chillingly similar” to a sketch released by the San Diego Police Department and descriptions given by victims of the attacks.
Though Gibson said that doesn’t necessarily mean it was the suspect in her alley, she said the encounter was enough to leave her concerned for her safety and that of her children and neighbors.
She said police sent extra patrols to her area to keep an eye on anything potentially suspicious, but she still thinks it’s important for Uptown residents to report any odd activity in their neighborhoods.
“We should all have awareness for this, keep our wits about us and talk to each other,” Gibson told NBC 7.
According to San Diego police, there have been six assaults reported on women in the North Park area since June 11.
The latest attack happened on Aug. 28 near Lincoln Avenue and Idaho Street. The victim was attacked from behind, punched in the face and knocked out. She screamed for help and the suspect ran away, avoiding capture.
Police have released photos of a possible person of interest in that sixth assault.
However, to date, no one has been arrested.
