A woman in Markham is recovering after surviving a random sexual assault yesterday.
York Regional Police say she was in her office in the area of Steeles and Warden when the attack happened.
"When we arrived we learned, basically, the office building was a little bit quieter because of staggered shifts and that type of thing. Essentially, a suspect went into the building and went inside an office where a female employee was working and, basically, locked the door of the office behind him, preventing the victim from leaving," describes York Regional Police Cst. Laura Nicolle. "The victim was violently attacked and sexually assaulted. The suspect took a knife out of his bag at one point but fortunately the victim managed to get out of the room, alert others in the building, and call for help."
The attack seems to have gone on for some time. "It appears the suspect entered the office building at 6:30 p.m. and police weren't called until 8 p.m.," says Cst. Nicolle.
The woman, who is described as an adult female, was taken to hospital with serious injuries but police say she was never injured by the knife.
Joshua Jones, 19, of Toronto, was arrested at the scene and is charged with sexual assault causing bodily harm, forcible confinement and possession of a weapon.
Police are appealing to any additional witnesses who have not yet spoken with investigators to come forward.