Pflugerville police investigating assault on hike and bike trail

Pflugerville police are searching for a man who grabbed a woman on the Lake Pflugerville hike and bike trail.
               
The assault was reported around 10:00 Tuesday night.

Police said the suspect is described as a man in his 20s or 30s. He did not have a shirt on at the time, but was wearing red basketball shorts.

“When we got there, we were told by the female victim that somebody had actually ran towards her and grabbed her,” said Sara Bustilloz, public information officer with the Pflugerville Police Department.

The victim was not injured during the attack, but police said she was very shaken up. The suspect was gone by the time officers arrived on scene.

In order to help keep everyone safe, police plan to increase their presence in the area.

"That's a really busy area for us, so, especially in the summer, we're usually trying to do some extra patrols. We also use our citizens on patrol just to help everyone feel safe with the amount of activity that's going on out there," Bustilloz said. 

While police are still investigating the assault, they do want to remind people to stay alert, especially when running at night.

“The most important thing for any runner or walker is that they have as many senses available to them as they can. So, if it's dark at night, it's hard to see what's in front of you or behind you, so you want to make sure that you aren't listening to loud music or maybe forego listening to music altogether if you're running or walking,” said Bustilloz.

Police also advise people to try and run with a buddy, consider switching up routes or the time of day and always have a phone nearby to call for help if anything happens.