Residents shocked after woman knocked out, sexually assaulted, robbed at a bus stop

Residents in the Point Douglas area say they are shocked after a woman wasknocked unconscious and sexually assaultedat a bus stop on the Disraeli Freeway Friday afternoon.

The woman, in her mid-30s, told police she was at a transit stop on the Disraeli Freeway near Sutherland Avenue around 5:30 p.m. Friday when she was approached by a man who assaulted her and knocked her out.

She later woke up near Rover Avenue and Disraeli Street, several hundred metres away, police said.She had been sexually assaulted and robbed. She was treated in hospital fornon-life-threatening injuries, said police.

Nearby resident Bonny Kozmasaid she may have heard "screaming" around the time the woman was attacked.

"I thought it was kids fooling around," she said.

It never crossedKozma's mind a serious crime was taking place just metres from her front door.

"This has been my neighbourhood all my life. It's a quiet street," she said.

'Never been an issue'

Georgina Wood, who lives near where the attack took place, considers the area safe. She said she was "shocked" to learn that a woman had been violently assaulted.

"I have my grandchildren here all the time, and I have been living here for 17 years and [there]has never been an issue," Wood said.

"It is scary. I will be watchingalot closernow, paying alot more attention to who is around."

DeniseSt.Pierre, a former resident of the area,echoed Wood's concern.

"It's absolutely shocking.I used to take the bus almost everyday to and from work," she said.

"I don't have words to explain how scary that is."

The attackeris believed to be in his 30s and about six feet tall, with a "thin athletic build," short hair and a light brown goatee, police said.

Police are not sure what he used to knock the victim unconscious.

Anyone with information that could help investigators is asked to call them at 204-986-6245 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).