Kitchener man jumps into action to intervene in an alleged sexual assault

A Kitchener man is still grappling with what he witnessed on Monday morning when an alleged sexual assault happened right outside his home.

Shane Allen, who lives on Prospect Avenue, was getting in his car to leave around 11 a.m. As he was packing up his car, he noticed a white vehicle parked in front of his house.

“I noticed a guy ruffling through his trunk in a duffle bag,” Allen said.

“I didn’t really think much of it. I was leaving, and he was walking [towards Franklin Road North]. I noticed he was adjusting his hood and he looked a bit suspicious because he kept looking behind him.”

Shane Allen holds up his phone, showing video from by his home security camera that captured the suspect in front of his house. (Stefanie Davis/CTV Kitchener)

Allen began driving away but kept an eye on the man, who appeared to be approaching a bus stop on Franklin Road.

“I was watching him in my mirror and then he took a run at this girl and tackled her to the ground,” Allen explained, adding the woman had been waiting at the bus stop.

“Right away, I slam my brakes on and threw it in reverse.”

At that point, Allen said the man jumped off the woman and ran back to his car, which was just around the corner.

“I stopped and asked her first if she was okay. She said that she thought she was fine. I asked her if she knew him and she said no,” Allen said.

“He [the assailant] jumped in his car and took off, at which time I kind of gave chase and chased him around the block. I was trying to get his license plate number. I knew when he started speeding up that he was trying to get away.”

Allen said he wrote down the licence plate and called police.

He returned to the bus stop, where the woman had boarded the bus heading to Fairview Park Mall.

“I followed the bus while I was on the phone with police and the police came to Fairview Park Mall and questioned her and me,” Allen said.

“She seemed to be in shock.”

ARREST MADE

On Tuesday, Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) confirmed a 31-year-old Kitchener man has been arrested in connection with this case and charged with sexual assault.

“Upon investigation, officers learned that an unknown male approached a female in the area of Franklin Road North and Prospect Avenue, where the male sexually assaulted the female,” Const. Chris Iden with WRPS said.

Shane Allen says his 19-year-old daughter had been using the bus stop where the alleged assault happened almost every day to get to school. “It’s a good feeling knowing this guy is off the street,” he said. (Stefanie Davis/CTV Kitchener)

Police confirmed the woman was 21-years-old and she did not report any physical injuries. The WRPS Special Victims Unit has taken over the investigation, which remains ongoing.

“In regards to this investigation, there was assistance from the community in helping the female in this matter. We always appreciate when members of our community help each other and look out for each other,” Iden said.

“Safety is the most important piece to this. The very first thing you should be doing whenever anyone witnesses anything like this is to contact the police immediately.”

In order to help police locate suspects, Iden said witnesses should keep a safe distance and try to remember descriptors or direction of travel.

Allen said he just did what he thought he needed to do. He said his daughter, who’s 19-years-old, had been using that bus stop almost daily to get to school.

“It’s a good feeling knowing this guy is off the street,” Allen said.

“If somebody sees something like that, I’m sure there’s lots of people who would do the same thing and it turned out to be the right thing.”