Police are hunting for a man who attempted to rape a woman early Tuesday morning on her front porch in East Tampa.
It happened around 2 a.m. in the area of Hillsborough Avenue East and 15th Street.
The victim was dropped off by a friend and was searching for her keys when the man approached her while on her front porch.
"[He] started talking to her, making small talk. He reached out and touched her. She pushed him away and told him to leave her alone. That's when he grabbed her off the front porch and threw her on the ground,” TPD spokeswoman Andrea Davis said.
He tried to pull her clothes off and was unbuckling his pants, police said. The victim screamed, and the suspect put his hand over her mouth.
A motion light activated, dogs started barking and the suspect ran away. Police handed suspect sketches to surrounding businesses. Neighbors have been expressing their concerns.
"It's crazy. I have kids, I have a girl at home." Chris Sheffield said. "I told [my girlfriend] whenever she goes out the door to make sure she has her Taser, her pepper spray."
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office assisted in developing a composite of the suspect, seen in the image above.
