KEY POINTS:
Police want to speak to a woman whose timely intervention saved another woman from being attacked in Porirua by a man who may have gang affiliations.
Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Rongonui said a woman was grabbed while she walking to public toilets near Countdown supermarket on Lyttelton Ave on Wednesday.
"The offender attempted to drag the woman into one of the toilets but he was disturbed by another woman who came around the corner and asked the victim if she was all right," Mr Rongonui said.
"Her intervention prompted the offender to let the woman go and leave the area."
Police wanted to speak to the woman who intervened. She had blonde hair and was wearing a white top, he said.
"It's possible this good samaritan ... wasn't aware that her actions saved the victim from a more serious attack."
The victim was shaken, but unhurt by the incident, he said.
Police were still looking for the offender described as a stocky male Maori, in his 30s, about 178cm tall, with short dark hair and the tattoo of a bulldog on the left side of his neck.
He was wearing a red tee-shirt with the words Mongrel Mob Porirua and a picture of a bulldog head in white print on it.
"Someone may have noticed a man fitting this description loitering in the toilets and bus stop area," Mr Rongonui said.
"We'd like to hear from people who can help solve this crime."
- NZPA
