Police hunt for transient in brazen daylight rape

Salt Lake police call it an alarming situation.

A woman was attacked and raped in broad daylight in a parking lot next to a busy downtown intersection.

At 3:45 p.m. Monday, a woman, whose name or age was not released by police Thursday, parked her car in a lot on the southwest corner of 400 South and Main. As she walked across the lot, a man who was hiding underneath a vehicle grabbed the victim by her ankles and pulled her down, said Salt Lake police Sgt. Robin Snyder.

The woman was then raped at knifepoint between two vehicles, out of sight from motorists on the busy road. Snyder said the attack on the woman, who worked nearby, appeared to be completely random.

"I've never seen anything like this happen in 10 years of being an officer," she said.

Complete stranger rapes happen "maybe once a year if that," Snyder said. But for one to happen during the day, "makes this more alarming."

The suspect was described as a transient. He had a dark complexion, dark beard, dark hair down to his collar, a baseball cap, a Carhatt-style winter coat, a yellow plaid flannel shirt and blue jeans. The man was also described as having "substantial body odor," Snyder said.

To prevent a similar attack from happening to others, Snyder advised women to always be aware of their surroundings, including who is behind them.

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