Early Wednesday morning around 1:00am, Brownwood Police responded to an emergency call that a woman had been attacked in the front parking lot of Kroger Grocery Store at 302 Main Street.  Officers were notified that the suspect had fled the scene in a vehicle and was headed West on Belle Plain.  Upon arrival at the scene, Officer Bastardo drove immediately onto Belle Plain, near Kroger in efforts to help locate the suspect.  After a short time of looking for the vehicle, the officer then went to the scene and spoke with the victim who was sitting in her locked car, visibly shaken and crying.

According to the police report, the 36-year-old victim had explained coming to the grocery store to buy diapers and was returning to her car after the purchase, when an unknown man came running at her from the rear of her car as she loaded the diapers into the back seat of her vehicle.  The victim told police that the man grabbed her and attempted to pick her up and force her into the back seat of her own vehicle.  The police report states that the victim resisted the attack by punching, scratching and then yelling loudly for help, which made the man stop and run away.  The victim told police that the suspect then ran toward a vehicle that was parked in a dark area near the building where Advanced Auto Parts is located.  He then drove away, heading West on Belle Plain.

The man had a camouflage jacket with a hood that hid his face and he did not say anything to the victim during the attack the police stated.  When asked if she had any injuries, the victim only noted that the man had grabbed her on the right thigh when attempting to pick her up and put her into the car, which caused a burning sensation and then she showed the officer a fingernail that had been bent backward during the struggle to escape, which caused her a lot of pain.

The report states that officers spoke with two Kroger employees who had noticed a man matching the suspect’s description inside the store.  One of the employees had asked him if he needed any assistance, and he had replied, “No, I’m just looking.”  Both employees were able to provide a description.  The video footage during the time the man was in the store will be provided as evidence in hopes of finding the suspect.