VicPD is looking for suspects related to a kidnapping and robbery attempts on Sunday. (Keili Bartlett/News staff)

The Victoria Police Department is seeking assistance and warning the public after two separate incidents in downtown Victoria Sunday, at least one of which was reported as an attempted kidnapping.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, just after 3 a.m., a man approached a woman from behind near the intersection of Blanshard and Johnson Streets. The man grabbed the woman and attempted to get her to go with him.

The woman was able to get away and reported the incident to police as an attempted robbery.

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Then, around 11 a.m. police were called to Bastion Square, where a woman reported being grabbed and threatened as she returned to her vehicle. The woman told police that a man she didn’t know approached her from behind, “grabbed her, brandished a knife and told her she needed to go with him.”

The woman broke free from the man and fled. She had no physical injuries. Police were unable to find a suspect in that area.

She described the suspect as a Caucasian man, about 45-years-old, wearing a long black trench coat, dark sunglasses and a black toque. He had long hair worn in a pony tail. The suspect was reported to have “walked with a slight limp” and spoke with a French Canadian accent.

The suspect described in the early morning (File #19-56129) incident bears resemblance to the suspect described in the Bastion Square incident (File #19-56157).

Anyone who recognizes the suspect or has any information on either incident is encouraged to call VicPD’s non emergency line at 250-995-7654. To report what you know anonymously please call Greater Victoria Crime Spotters at 1-800-222-8477.

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