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SAN DIEGO — Police asked the public for help identifying a man who tried to sexually assault a woman in Little Italy before stealing her car and taking off early Sunday.

Officers were called to the attempted sexual assault around 4:30 a.m. A man entered Cafe Italia on India Street, where the victim was working as a janitor. The armed man pushed her into a back room and tried to assault her, said police.

The woman was able to fight him off and run out of the store, but not before the man stole her keys. He sped off in her vehicle, described as a tan 1998 GMC Jimmy with a California license plate number 7VOY594.

The suspect was described as a white male with a medium complexion, 25 to 30 yearsold, 5’5″ tall, 130 pounds and slender with dark, curly hair. He was last seen wearing a white baseball cap with black stripes and stars, a black, short-sleeved t-shirt, khaki shorts and dark high top tennis shoes with a white trim.

Anyone with information about the attacker is asked to call the SDPD’s Sex Crimes Unit at (619) 531-2210 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.

Police say this vehicle was stolen by a man who also tried to sexually assault the victim. (Photo: SDPD)