Police looking for suspect accused of sexually assaulting woman walking her dog in Markham

York Regional Police (YRP) are searching for a man who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman who was walking her dog in Markham last week.

The incident occurred on May 4 just after 7 p.m. on a pathway between Riverwalk Drive and Boswell Drive, in the area of Highway 407 and Ninth Line.

A woman was walking her dog when an unknown man approached her and asked to take a photo of the dog, police said.

"As the suspect angled his phone toward the victim, he requested to take a picture with the victim holding her dog. In the process of doing so, the suspect touched the victim in a sexual manner without her consent," they allege in a news release on Wednesday.

The woman fled and reported the incident to police.

Officers went to the scene and searched for the suspect but did not find him.

On Wednesday, YRP released a photo and video of the suspect and asked for the public's help identifying him. They believe that he is familiar with the area as he’d been previously observed there.

The suspect is described as a South Asian male, between 20 and 30 years old and five-foot-seven with a thin build and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, blue jean, and grey and white shoes.

Police noted that the suspect "appeared to be holding a can of beer at the time of the incident."

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7071, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or www.1800222tips.com.