Police look for suspect after substance found on teen girl’s sweater

WINNIPEG — Police in Winnipeg are looking for a man who sprayed or deposited what they say may have been a bodily fluid on a teenage girl’s clothing.

The girl and some friends were shopping at the St. Vital shopping centre on Sunday when they noticed a man following them.

Police say the girls went into a store to try to evade him and that’s when one of the teens noticed an unidentified substance on her back.

The suspect remained in the area for a brief time before fleeing.

Police spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen says DNA tests on the substance are being done and could help identify the suspect.

Members of the sex crimes unit have been notified and investigators are reviewing surveillance footage from the mall.

“They were walking in the mall. They were going from store to store and they observed this male not only following them, but it looked like he was following them rather closely,” Michalyshen said Friday.

“The girls clearly were uncomfortable with the situation.”

Michalyshen did not speculate on what charges could be laid other than to say it was “a form of assault.”