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Bicyclist fends off attempted rape on GAP trail

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Bicyclist fends off attempted rape on GAP trail

A woman riding her bike on the Great Allegheny Passage through Whitaker was attacked by and fought off a would-be rapist Tuesday afternoon.

Whitaker police Officer Ozie Sparks said he responded to the area of the trail beneath the Rankin Bridge just before 5 p.m. and found the woman a short distance farther up the trail near the flyover ramp to The Waterfront.

The woman said she was approached by a black man in his early 20’s who knocked her off of her bike, exposed himself and got on top of her. She was able to strike him twice in the groin, and when she screamed it caught the attention of two other bicyclists who rode toward her to assist her, as the suspect fled with her car keys.

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Officer Sparks said the woman was shaken and had some abrasions but otherwise was not seriously injured. Munhall EMS took the woman to a hospital.

Munhall, Homestead, West Homestead, Swissvale and West Mifflin police assisted in the search for the man. West Mifflin police used a drone to search the area but the suspect remained at large.

Allegheny County police have taken over the investigation.

Dan Gigler: dgigler@post-gazette.com; Twitter @gigs412

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First Published: September 25, 2019, 2:16 a.m.

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