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Sex Assault In St. Paul Under Investigation

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Police in St. Paul are investigating after a woman was sexually assaulted early Saturday morning just south of the Wabasha Street Bridge.

Sgt. Mike Ernster said the assault happened around 3:15 a.m. The victim, a 20-year-old woman, took the Green Line from Minneapolis and had gotten off in downtown St. Paul.

She was walking down the Wabasha Street Bridge when she noticed a man walking behind her. At the southern end of the bridge, the man caught up with her.

The two spoke, Ernster said, with the woman trying to get a read on the man's state of mind. The woman then tried to get to the Holiday gas station a block down Wabasha Street, which is open 24/7.

Before she could get to the convenience store, however, the man took one of the woman's shoes and attacked her with it. She had been carrying them as she walked down the street.

The man knocked the victim down and threatened to kill her when she started screaming, Ernster said. He then led her to an industrial area and sexually assaulted her.

The man then walked away down Plato Boulevard.

The suspect is described as being 30-to 35-years-old, standing around 5-feet, 9-inches tall, with a goatee. He was wearing a black T-shirt and gray pants.

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