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Hikers Save Woman Walking Dog from Attacker near Runyon Canyon Park

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Hikers who had been at Runyon Canyon Park came to the aid of the victim (Photo by phot0matt via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)

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A woman walking her dog early Saturday morning was rescued by hikers when an attacker threw her to the ground and tried to remove her clothing.

The incident took place at around 8 a.m., say authorities, according to ABC7. "The victim was walking her dog on Fuller Avenue, just south of the popular hiking spot, when witnesses said the suspect suddenly attacked."

The suspect, later identified as 21-year-old Dejan Sebastian, lunged for the victim, and though she was screaming for help, he proceeded to attempt to pull her pants down.

People in the vicinity heard her screams, and several people took footage and photos of the incident.

Passersby, who were apparently hiking at Runyon Canyon Park, stopped to come to the woman's aid. They pulled Sebastian off the victim, and held him down until the authorities arrived.

Sebastian was taken into custody and was being held on $100,000 bail.

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