Long Beach girl, 14, fights off foul-smelling attacker, police say

A 14-year-old girl fought off a would-be assailant as she was walking to school in Long Beach on Monday morning, authorities said.

During the struggle the man exposed himself before fleeing.

The teen was walking to Butler Middle School around 8 a.m. when a man grabbed her arm, said Cmdr. Josef Levy of the Long Beach Police Department.

"But she was able to break free and run to safety," he said.

The teen later described the suspect to investigators as an African American man, between 25 and 30 years old, about 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, with light brown or hazel eyes. He was wearing a brown, hooded sweatshirt with two yellow stripes down each sleeve, and faded navy blue cargo pants. And he had a "distinctly bad body odor," Levy said.

The suspect, who was on foot, was last seen walking southbound on Lemon Avenue from 20th Street.

Long Beach police dispatched bloodhounds and a helicopter in search of the man, and knocked on doors in the vicinity looking for witnesses, Levy said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police detectives at (562) 570-7368.

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-- Robert Faturechi

Comments

[california love]

Two more days and it's going to turn out that she made up the entire incident.

[carmen]

wow i was thier i go to mary buttler im in 8th grade that were it happended. rummors were that she was rapped and klled but now i know the story and its ws sofun cuz we thought that we were going to be on tv and we were doig pe by that time when the hellocopter came it was veryy sad but itnow makes me feel like im un safe

[savannah]

so does that mean when we walk what if he has on something else and we dont notice him and now i really dont feel safe walking around that area

[savannah]

thats not right how you wasnt there and your saying it was a lie!! thats grimmy

[I . kneed Grammar.]

Dude, These kids need to be taught . Too many errors on grammar and spelling.