Girl, 15, attacked near Rea

A 15-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted while walking home near Rea Elementary School late Thursday may have known her attacker, police said.

“There was a little more contact initially, rather than the idea that some perpetrator singled her out and attacked her,” said Sgt. Bryan Glass.

At about 9:47 p.m., the girl was walking home in the Westside neighborhood when a man in his early 20s, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt with a white logo on the back, approached her from behind, according to the police report.

The man then walked the girl off the sidewalk near the school and attempted to further assault her before she screamed, prompting him to flee, Glass said.

Police are investigating whether the girl was initially cooperative with the man. Detectives plan to interview her again in a few days, giving her more time to recover, said Sgt. Frank Rudisill.

The man was last seen running eastbound on Hamilton Street from Meyer Place, Glass said. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the detective bureau at (714) 754-5363.

MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at michael.miller@latimes.com.