A 14-year-old girl fought off an attacker who tried to grab her as she walked home from Tauranga's Otumoetai College yesterday afternoon.
Tauranga Police Senior Sergeant Tim Masters said the incident occurred between 4pm and 4.15pm, on a shortcut near Bethlehem.
The man grabbed the teenager from behind by the shoulders and
spun her round to face him.
She in turn punched the man in the nose and kneed him in the groin, before managing to escape. She ran home and told her parents, who contacted police.
The incident had the potential to be quite serious, Mr Masters said.
Although police have a description of the man, they are concerned he may change his appearance to avoid capture.
However, Mr Masters confirmed a caucasian male aged between 30 and 40 years old is being sought.
- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES
