A rapt crowd listened to the victim tell her story at Tower Two Café.

A 25-year-old Ocean Beach woman was punched in the eye with an object, groped from behind, and was being dragged away in broad daylight on the morning of October 17 in an attempted rape incident. Her attacker was scared off when a Cox cable truck pulled onto the street.

The story was told by the victim at the weekly O.B. Citizens’ Patrol meeting held at Tower Two Café on October 23. In a quiet voice, with eyes filled with tears, she told the story of the assault that she says has changed her life.

“It has crippled [my life] in many ways,” she said. “I no longer feel safe walking in my own neighborhood. I've gone through anxiety attacks, frustrated loved ones, and I’m constantly looking over my shoulder and making sure doors are locked. It takes courage to do the simplest things now. It’s taught me a few things about myself and where I live; I know that no matter how scared I feel, I can push through and be strong. It’s showed me how loving and supportive my community is, and it's made me thankful to be alive.”

The victim said she was jogging last week on a sunny morning at around 9 a.m., near 1600 Ocean Front Street, when a man came up behind her, hit her in the eye (which later became a black eye), and grabbed her breasts. He told her to be quiet and he wouldn't hurt her. The victim said her attacker had an East Coast accent and seemed to be in a manic state, as if he had been up all night. He was starting to pull her away when he was spooked by the truck.

The woman said she only saw the perpetrator from behind but was able to give a description to police: white, male, about 5’5”, wearing a green-and-white Celtics jersey and plaid shorts. She never got a look at his face. The suspect police apprehended two days later (on other charges) had been released from jail two days before the attack. He had been jailed on sex-related offenses.

The victim told the group how well she was treated by police throughout the process. Police are hoping someone who may have seen the suspect in the area the morning of the attack will come forward to give a positive I.D. SDPD’s Sex Crimes unit: 619-531-2210