A 22-year old woman reported being sexually assaulted early Sunday morning in a parking lot on the 300 block of W. Wilson Street, according to a Madison Police Report.

According to the incident report, the victim met the suspect while out in the downtown area Saturday night. The woman had become separated from her friends earlier in the night, went to a bar with the suspect, and she says he later attacked and assaulted her, the report said.

After the attack, the suspect fled the area, the report said. The victim then contacted a passerby and called the police, according to police spokesperson Joel DeSpain.

“I think males and females need to be on guard about meeting people they don’t know and be very cautious until they gain trust and feel that they actually know the person,” said DeSpain. “Stay in groups and stay with people you know and trust.”

“In this case the victim met and knew this man and maybe felt it was safer to be with somebody as opposed to nobody,” Anderson said. “However, be careful whom you choose to be with, especially if it’s someone you just met. So many messages to women are about avoiding strangers but no one tells you that 90 percent of the time you will be assaulted by someone you know.”

DeSpain said the police have a detective working with the victim to create a sketch. He said evidence has been sent to the Wisconsin State Crime Lab.