Three girls groped on False Creek seawall near Granville Island and Science World

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      After Vancouver police have been warning that the number of sexual assaults have spiked in recent weeks, more groping incidents have taken place—this time near False Creek yesterday afternoon.

      The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) stated that the first incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. on August 17.

      Two girls, both 11 years old, were walking along the seawall at Granville Island when a man passed them on a bike and groped one girl from behind.

      Then at West 6th Avenue and Birch Street, a man groped the other girl, and police believe the suspect had followed the victims to this second location.

      The suspect in this incident is described as an Asian male who is 163 centimetres (five-feet, four-inches) tall, appears to be in his 30s, and has medium-coloured skin.

      He was wearing black-framed glasses, a blue hat, a grey t-shirt, and dark shorts. He is described as unkempt and was riding a red and white bicycle.

      About half an hour later, a 15-year-old jogger was running along the seawall near Science World when she was also groped by a stranger.

      The suspect in this incident had dark hair and a dark ball cap. He was wearing a grey shirt and light-coloured or grey pants, and had a dark backpack.

      He was also riding a red and white bike.

      Investigators have not yet confirmed if the incidents near Granville Island and Science World are connected or not.

      However, investigators believe there may be other victims who have not yet contacted police.

      Anyone with information about these sexual assaults is asked to call VPD Sex Crimes Unit at 604-717-0601.

      In a separate case, police arrested a 35-year-old male suspect who groped a man at Commercial Drive and Broadway and then physically assaulted a woman at Commercial Drive and East 12th Avenue.

      In addition, police are investigating four reported gropings in Champlain Heights between April 9 and August 1.

      The VPD has also previously stated that there has been a 167-percent increase in gropings in the Granville Entertainment District compared to a three-year average for the month of July.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook.

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