A group of people knocked a sexual assault suspect unconscious after a woman was attacked near Emma Wood State Beach, police said Tuesday.
The incident took place around 6 p.m. on May 5 north of the Ventura County Fairgrounds on California State Parks property, according to the Ventura Police Department.
A woman was walking her dog along the bike path when she decided to head toward the shoreline of Emma Wood State Beach, a police news release stated.
She then noticed a man following her from a distance. Soon after, she let her dog off the leash and the canine went into some nearby brush.
The woman went into the brushy area to locate her dog and was followed by the suspect, who allegedly sexually assaulted her, police said.
She began screaming, prompting the attacker to run away and attracting the attention of several individuals who were in the riverbottom at the time. After hearing the commotion and learning the woman had been assaulted, the group chased down and attacked the suspect, the release read.
They knocked the suspect unconscious and put him in a pull wagon, which was left along the bike path adjacent to the fairgrounds, according to authorities.
Meanwhile, the woman went back to the bike path and waited for police to arrive.
Patrol officers responded and located the suspect — identified by police as Jose Mendez of Ventura —who had not come to yet. The victim told them he was the attacker, authorities said.
Mendez was taken to Ventura County Medical Center and remained hospitalized with unspecified injuries a week after the incident, according to the release.
Police did not immediately provide any further details about the case.
