Man Sought in Assault on Woman

Simi Valley police are searching for a man who early Thursday broke into a home on the city’s southwest side and attacked a woman in her bed.

The 23-year-old woman was able to fend off the assault, which police said was an attempted rape, said Sgt. Bob Gardener, a department spokesman.

The man fled the residence in the 1200 block of Royal Avenue and escaped despite a search of the area by police and police dogs, Gardener said. “At this point we don’t have a description,” he said.

The woman received minor scratches. A similar break-in in which a woman was raped occurred three weeks ago, Gardener said.

“We’re not ready to speculate whether it was the same guy,” he said.