Abbotsford Police are asking the public for help after two men in a pickup truck snatched a woman off a busy street and sexually assaulted her on Thursday night.

"It was a horrendous sex attack that was unprovoked by strangers," said Const. Ian Macdonald.

"[The victim] is in a terrible way . . . and is traumatized without a doubt."

The 19-year-old woman was walking near Pauline and Homeview streets east towards a bus stop at 7 p.m. when she noticed a newer model white pickup truck with two men inside pass her twice, said Const. Ian MacDonald.

As the young woman approached the intersection of Pauline and Laurel streets, the passenger exited the truck, grabbed her and pushed her into the back seat of the vehicle.

The truck drove to a nearby parking lot in the 34000 block of Gladys Avenue where both men sexually assaulted her inside the vehicle.

The two men shoved the victim out of the truck onto the ground after the attack.

The severely traumatized victim made her way home and did not disclose the incident until the next day, said MacDonald.

The attack, which took place early in the evening, was predatory in nature with the suspects likely prowling around for some time before striking, said MacDonald.

Investigators believe anyone in the area at the time could have valuable information, said MacDonald.

"It's an area of town where there's a lot vehicle traffic and pedestrians, and we think someone might have seen something relevant even if they didn't see the victim being grabbed," he said on Sunday.

"It would be odd that you have a white pickup circling the block without anyone else seeing anything.

"They could have been driving around that area for half an hour."

Police will canvas nearby restaurants and service stations in case the suspects stopped in the area prior to or after the attack.

Investigators don't believe the recent attack is related to an incident on Dec. 18 when an 18-year-old girl was robbed and then groped in an attempted sexual assault near John Maclure Elementary.

"The [suspect] descriptions aren't the same and the motive appears to be considerably different," said MacDonald.

The APD has released two composite sketches of the attackers.

The suspects are described as South Asian men who spoke to one another in Punjabi.

The driver is described to be in his late 20s with a thin build and is five feet 10 inches. He was clean-shaven with short black hair, and wearing a dark jacket and blue T-shirt.

The passenger was in his late 20s to early 30s, with a heavy build.

He was five feet 11 inches in height with short, dark hair and a full beard.

He was wearing a yellow shirt, a grey hoodie and tear-away track pants.

Police recommend that people walking at night travel in pairs, stay in well-lit and populated areas and carry a cell phone.

The attackers were brazen enough to attack the victim even though it was early in the evening and she was in a busy area and aware of her surroundings, said MacDonald.

"There wasn't a thing that she could do," he said.

"She was overpowered by a larger man and she didn't stand a heck of a lot of chance."

Anyone with information about the attack, or information about the identities of the suspects involved, is urged to call the Abbotsford Police at 604-859-5225 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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