A 19-year-old female student managed to fight off a man and call security after she was grabbed in a parking lot at Vancouver Island University.
The incident happened Thursday at about 6:45 p.m. while she was walking toward Building 180 near Fourth Street and was approached by a man asking for help for a friend needing medical attention.
He then grabbed her wrist and tried to spin her around, but the student elbowed him in the face, ran off and called security.
Patrols of the area failed to turn up the suspect.
Nanaimo RCMP describe the suspect as Caucasian, about 6 feet tall with a thin build. He was wearing light blue jeans, a dark blue hoodie over a black sweater and silver aviator sunglasses.
The student was shaken, but not injured in the incident.
Police said the incident is not related to one Feb. 21 when a woman was grabbed while walking along a trail by the Rotary Bowl running track. The person responsible for that incident is in police custody awaiting trial.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com.