A woman was attacked by a man behind the business where she works in downtown Maple Ridge early Monday.
Around 7:15 a.m., the woman was taking garbage to a dumpster in the parking lot at the back of the store, located in the 22300 block of Lougheed Highway, when she was grabbed by a man.
Insp. Dave Fleugel said the man tackled the woman to the ground.
"She was able to defend herself, and the suspect quickly ran off," he added.
The woman was not injured.
Police are still looking for her assailant, who escaped along Lougheed Highway.
Businesses nearby by claim they were not informed by police about the early morning attack.
Curves, which opened at 6 a.m., had no knowledge a woman had been targeted.
Cindy Panagiotou, with Defiance Body Studio, was also unnerved.
"That's scary. We should have been told," she said.
The suspect is described as a dark-skinned man with dirty brown, scruffy hair. He had a moustache, a slim build and was wearing a navy blue rain coat.
Police are asking for anyone who saw a man running along Lougheed Highway between 223nd Street, 222nd Streets and Selkirk Avenue around 7:15 a.m. on Oct. 17 to call investigators at 604-463-6251.