Update, posted at 1:52 a.m. Saturday:
Columbia police called on a Missouri Highway Patrol helicopter to resume the search overnight for a suspicious man who ran from officers on Friday evening.
Officers and search dogs combed an area along Ashland Road where a man matching the description of the fleeing suspect was seen crossing the road.
The man's description matches that of a suspect sought in the investigation of a series of early-morning break-ins and sexual assaults that may be connected to a similar spate of attacks last year.
The suspect is described as a white, or possibly Middle Eastern male, in his 30s, 6-feet to 6-feet-2-inches tall, with an athletic build. He was last seen wearing a tan cap turned backwards, dark t-shirt and khaki shorts.
Update, posted at 11:43 p.m. Friday:
Columbia police announced that their intensified search has been called off for a suspicious man who fled into a wooded area on Friday evening. But officers continue to keep watch for the suspect.
Earlier coverage, posted Friday night:
Police in Columbia are looking tonight for a man who was last seen running from law enforcement toward the University of Missouri campus.
The University Police Department is working with the Columbia Police Department in the search.
The individual was last seen in the Hinkson Creek area south of campus.
The suspect is described as a white, or possibly Middle Eastern male, in his 30s, 6-feet to 6-feet-2-inches tall, with an athletic build. He was last seen wearing a tan cap turned backwards, dark t-shirt and khaki shorts.
Police were dispatched around 7:50 p.m. to the 3100 block of Rock Quarry Road where a man matching the suspect description ran into the woods. Officers have been searching the area on the ground and via helicopter for the man.