Girl sexually assaulted in Rancho Santa Margarita

A girl was sexually assaulted in Rancho Santa Margarita, and Orange County authorities are asking for the public’s help in identifying her attacker.

The assailant, described as white, 30 to 35 years old, 5-foot-11 to 6-foot-1 inches tall and weighing 170 to 175 pounds, was still on the run Saturday night, Orange County Sheriff’s Sgt. Todd Hylton said.

“We’ve gotten some leads. People have posted on social media some additional information, which obviously investigators are going to follow up on,” Hylton said. “We’re trying to develop leads to see if we can identify the subject.”

The assault took place about 6:30 p.m. Friday near Avenida de los Flores and Antonio Parkway, and the attacker fled on foot, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

Authorities conducted a major search Friday evening but were unable to locate the man. As of Saturday night, the department was no longer actively searching the streets of Rancho Santa Margarita, Hylton said.

“We don’t have any personnel on the ground actually out looking for him, but we are following up on the many leads and trying to develop leads through the community,” he said.

The attacker was further described as having a medium build and blue eyes, and he was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, white shirt and black skinny jeans, according to a tweet shared Saturday on the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Rancho Santa Margarita police services account.

The girl suffered minor injuries in the assault, Hylton said, and was not taken to a hospital. Investigators were able to generate a sketch of the attacker’s face based on her description of his appearance.

The Sheriff’s Department asks that anyone with information about the assailant or the attack call its special victims detail at (714) 647-7419 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-847-6227.