Police were searching for a man who attacked a woman on a street Thursday in Highland Park and tried to sexually assault her, authorities said.
The woman was walking near the intersection of York Boulevard and Toledo Street around 6:30 p.m. when a man knocked her to the ground and tried to sexually assault her, said Sgt. Douglas Bowler of the Los Angeles Police Department's Northeast Community Station.
The woman screamed and drew the attention of bystanders who chased the man away, he said.
"He started socking her and socking her and she just had blood all over her face from socking her," Leticia Romo said.
Romo, a witness, said two men heard the woman's screams and chased the man. The attacker lifted his shirt as if he was carrying a gun and the two men stopped chasing him.
Police searched the area for hours following the attack but could not locate the man.
Witnesses said they saw the man following the victim before the attack.
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"This is a very busy street. For anybody to try to attempt to do that on a street is just crazy," Romo said.
The victim was at a hospital recovering, authorities said.
No further information about the attacker was immediately available.
City News Service contributed to this report.
