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RCMP issue warning after woman grabbed

Unknown male attacks woman in Alpine Meadows

Whistler RCMP is warning the public to be cautious after an unknown male attacked a young woman on the evening of Monday, Sept. 26 on Alpine Way, west of Drifter Way in Alpine Meadows.

The RCMP responded to the complaint at 10:10 p.m. According to the victim, a female in her early 20s, she had just exited the bus when a male approached her and grabbed her from behind. He put a hand over her mouth and told her to be quiet.

The woman bit the suspect, causing him to remove his hand, and she was able to scream. She then ran to her residence, while the suspect ran eastbound from the location.

The male is described as having a medium build. He was wearing beige pants, a white jacket with dark sleeves and a baseball cap. A small white hatchback was seen in the area, but it's unknown if it belonged to the suspect.

"The young woman did exactly the right thing - fighting back, screaming and running away," said Staff Sergeant Steve LeClair of the Whistler RCMP. "Fortunately she was not physically injured. Our Serious Crime Section is taking this attack very seriously, and its investigation is being assisted by our police dog section. At this time we are warning residents to be vigilant and to make safe travel arrangements, particularly after dark."

The RCMP are investigating another incident that took place between 10:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Monday evening, and whether the two incidents might be related. According to police a female was walking on the Valley Trail near Blackcomb Way when a male exposed himself to her. He asked her for the time and she walked away.

If you have any information regarding either incident - or another incident that may be relevant - contact the Whistler RCMP at 604-932-3044 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

 

Man arrested after brandishing knife

On Sept. 26 the RCMP responded to a complaint in Whistler Cay involving an enraged male who was attempting to attack a vehicle with a large knife. Witnesses say the man was yelling that someone had destroyed his home.

The RCMP attended and found the male yelling from an upstairs deck. The RCMP knocked on the door and the male went inside to get I.D. That's when the police noticed a large kitchen knife and a container of marijuana.

The male was arrested for mischief and for possession of a dangerous weapon, and may face charges for possession of a controlled substance. Police seized about 10 grams of marijuana in a jar and another 31 grams in a plastic bag.

Assistance sought on stolen bike complaint

On Sept. 26 a male attended the Whistler RCMP detachment to report a stolen bike and return a bike he had taken two days previously from outside the Creekside liquor store. The male discovered his bike stolen and was angry, assuming that the person who left the other bike had taken his. He meant to return the bike sooner but crashed while riding home and sustained injuries to his face and head. If you had a bike taken from the Creekside liquor store between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday evening, contact the RCMP at 604-932-3044.

 

Squamish's cougar woes continue

On the advice of Conservation Officer Service The District of Squamish has temporarily closed a trail network in Squamish on Debeck's Hill after a run-in between a mountain biker and a cougar on Saturday.

According to conservation officer Chris Doyle, the incident occurred on a trail called Crouching Squirrel Hidden Monkey. The rider came across an adult cougar that had killed a deer, and acted aggressively to protect its kill. There was an altercation with the riders' dog that resulted in minor injuries, but otherwise both the rider and his dog made it out safely.

According to Doyle, there are no plans to destroy the cougar. "The behaviour of the cougar is what we would consider normal, but having said that it's not good to have something like this happen on a high-use trail," he said. "We will not have to remove the cougar from the area, but asked the District of Squamish to close the trail so there are no further issues."

Doyle said the closure would likely be in place until the end of this week, giving the cougar time to move on

Doyle's office was also busy in Whistler on Tuesday after receiving a report that a black bear had broken into a local pizza restaurant. Conservation officers will be placing a trap in the area and will try to tag and relocate the bear away from Whistler and the Village.

"I think we'll see more activity around the village now," said Doyle. "We usually do in October when the alpine berries are done and given that the berries were not in any kind of abundance this year we're expecting more activity this fall."