I received this email from a woman who says she was assaulted last night around 9:00 p.m. in Ballard and nearly raped. The Seattle Police Department doesn't have the report listed online yet, but here's her account of the incident (emphasis mine):

I was assaulted last night walking on 11th Ave NW & NW 57th St in Ballard... i feel like people should know, and watch out. The guy who assaulted me was big- think football player frat boy stocky- and was white and wearing a blue shirt. He has a buzz cut.

He ran up behind me, put his hand over my face and mouth and another on my chest and dragged me into the yard near those cross streets. I screamed several times, but he was covering my mouth and told me if I screamed again he would "pull something out of his pocket". He first asked for cash and made me shake out my purse- I tried to give him the purse and I didn't have any cash on me. I don't think he was really that interested in robbing me, because he didn't steal my iphone, check book, or anything else that I had- in fact, he didn't actually even look in my wallet.

He then forced me to touch his penis, and kept asking if I was a virgin. Please warn people to say NO- it was very clear to me that he wanted to hear yes. He also said things like "I'm not going to rape you because I don't have a condom." (thanks sex ed... you may have saved me from being raped, right?) But I think he may have- I was screaming and struggling on and off, which pissed him off more- I got thrown into the ground several times whenever I tried to- almost got away once and he dragged me back and told me he'd kill me. He got my shirt off and was unzipping my pants when the guy whose yard he had dragged me in opened his front door.

The guy who was assaulting me then ran off and I ran into that house. I am so grateful that the guy was home and checked his yard out when he heard screaming- if he had ignored it, I have no doubt I would have been raped- despite my best efforts to fight back.

This guy seems to me to be someone who has done this maybe once before, but not more than that. He seems to be escalating- from the false robbery pretense to asking for a hand job, to starting to get on top of me. I'm scared that he is going to do this to someone else again if he's not caught.

I stayed at the stranger's house (who was gracious and awesome) until the police came and took my statement. They did not catch the guy nor seemed to have any real leads etc., which really worries me.

Please let people know about this. I'm usually a really careful and watchful person- if this could happen while I am stone sober at 9 at night in a relatively safe area- it could happen to anyone.