A pack of eight dogs has chased off a man after he allegedly tried to sexually assault two women walking beside a Melbourne creek in broad daylight, with one of the animals tearing a piece of clothing from the fleeing suspect that is now being forensically examined.

The extraordinary confrontation unfolded along Gardiners Creek in Kooyong about 11.30am on Tuesday, when a 67-year-old woman from Toorak and a 39-year-old woman from Glen Iris were walking with eight dogs near a reserve off Glenferrie Road.

Victoria Police said detectives had been told an unknown man suddenly jumped out of a bush and put his arms around one of the women.

She managed to push him away.

The man then allegedly turned towards the second woman and tried to pull her towards him, but she also fought him off.

What happened next has become the defining image of the incident.

The eight dogs with the women chased the man from the scene and into a nearby tunnel beneath the Monash Freeway.

Footage shared publicly after the alleged attack shows dogs of different breeds and sizes racing after a man carrying a large bright blue backpack as he runs along the creek bank.

At one point, one of the dogs appears to catch the man’s clothing and tear away a piece of fabric.

Police say the dogs did manage to tear off part of the alleged assailant’s clothing as he fled.

That piece of material is now being forensically examined as detectives work to identify the man.

Bayside Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team detectives are investigating the incident and have appealed for witnesses, footage and information from the public.

Investigators have also released a facial composite of a man they wish to speak to in relation to the alleged attempted sexual assault.

Police described the man as being perceived to be of African appearance.

He was wearing black tracksuit pants, white socks, slides and a black and grey hooded top, as well as a black face covering.

He was also carrying what police described as a large, bright blue backpack.

The backpack and clothing description may prove important to the investigation because the alleged attack occurred during the day in an area used by walkers, cyclists and other members of the public.

Police are seeking anyone who may have seen the man before or after the incident, or who may have captured him on a phone, dashcam, CCTV system or other recording device.

The women’s account to investigators indicates the alleged attack began without warning.

According to police, the pair were simply walking along Gardiners Creek with the dogs when the unknown man emerged from vegetation and grabbed the first woman.

After she pushed him away, he allegedly tried to pull the second woman towards him.

Both women were able to resist.

The dogs then pursued the man as he fled.

Video of the chase shows the suspect running ahead of the animals towards the tunnel under the freeway. At least several dogs can be clearly seen following closely behind him.

The footage provides a dramatic visual account of the escape, but detectives are still working to establish the full circumstances of the alleged attack and identify the person responsible.

No arrest has been announced and police have not publicly identified a suspect.

The facial composite released by detectives is therefore an investigative appeal rather than an image of a person who has been charged or found guilty of an offence.

Police want to speak to the depicted man in relation to the incident.

The alleged attack has drawn attention partly because of its location and timing.

Gardiners Creek forms part of a long green corridor through Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Shared paths and reserves along the creek are regularly used for walking, running, cycling and dog exercise.

The area around Kooyong sits close to major transport infrastructure, sporting facilities and residential neighbourhoods, while the Monash Freeway crosses the creek corridor.

An incident reported at about 11.30am therefore differs from the circumstances many people instinctively associate with attacks in isolated places late at night.

For the two women, police say the confrontation occurred during an ordinary daytime dog walk.

There is no suggestion from investigators that either woman knew the man.

The fact that the women had eight dogs with them appears to have dramatically changed the course of the incident.

Police have not suggested the dogs were specially trained protection animals. Reports indicate the women are believed to have been walking the dogs professionally, although Victoria Police’s public account has focused on the alleged attack and the subsequent chase.

Whatever the animals’ background, their response created immediate pressure on the fleeing man.

Footage shows the dogs rapidly closing the distance as he runs along the creek.

One animal can be seen making contact with his lower clothing, and police later confirmed a piece of the man’s clothing was torn away.

The recovery of that material gives detectives a physical exhibit connected to the incident.

Forensic examination can involve a range of techniques depending on the condition and nature of an item. Police have not publicly detailed what specific testing is being conducted on the fabric or whether any usable forensic material has been recovered.

It would therefore be premature to assume the examination will identify the alleged attacker.

However, the piece of clothing is potentially significant because it was allegedly torn from the man while he was fleeing the scene.

The investigation is being handled by Bayside SOCIT.

Victoria Police’s Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Teams are specialist units responsible for investigating sexual offences and child abuse matters.

Police say SOCIT detectives are specially trained to investigate those offences and provide a specialist response to victim-survivors.

In this case, investigators have moved quickly to release the facial composite and detailed description of the man they wish to speak to.

The public description is specific.

Along with the bright blue backpack, investigators have highlighted the black tracksuit pants, white socks, slides, black and grey hooded top and black face covering.

Police also used the wording “perceived to be of African appearance” in describing the man.

That is a witness-based physical description released for identification purposes. Police have not publicly stated the man’s nationality, citizenship, ethnic background or identity.

The distinction is important while the investigation remains active and the person has not been identified.

The incident has also prompted renewed attention to personal safety on Melbourne’s shared trails and creek corridors.

Victoria Police advises people who believe they are in immediate danger to call Triple Zero.

General police safety advice also encourages people to remain aware of their surroundings and report suspicious behaviour, while recognising that responsibility for an alleged assault rests with the offender rather than the person targeted.

In an active investigation such as the Kooyong case, information that appears minor to a witness can be valuable when combined with other evidence.

A person may have noticed someone matching the police description near Gardiners Creek, around Glenferrie Road or close to the Monash Freeway before 11.30am.

Others may have seen a man with a bright blue backpack after the incident, potentially with damage to his tracksuit pants.

Drivers travelling nearby could also hold dashcam footage without immediately realising its possible significance.

Similarly, residents and businesses with security cameras may have captured movement to or from the creek corridor.

Detectives have not disclosed the direction the man may have travelled after entering the tunnel or whether police have established his movements beyond the immediate chase.

That gap in the publicly known timeline is one reason the appeal for witnesses and footage remains important.

The facial composite is another attempt to generate new information.

Composite images are generally created to assist an investigation based on descriptions available to police. They should not be treated as photographic identification or proof that a particular person committed an offence.

Anyone who believes they recognise the man depicted is being asked to provide that information to investigators rather than confront a person themselves.

The two women’s ability to push the man away before the dogs chased him has been widely highlighted in coverage of the case.

But the footage of the pursuit captures only the aftermath of the alleged attack.

The more serious allegation being investigated is what police say occurred moments earlier: a man emerging from a bush, putting his arms around one woman and then trying to pull the other woman towards him.

Police are treating the incident as an attempted sexual assault.

The women’s ages — 67 and 39 — and their home suburbs have been released as part of the police account, but their identities have not been publicly disclosed.

There is also no indication in the police statement that the women suffered injuries requiring hospital treatment.

The absence of publicly reported physical injuries does not diminish the seriousness of the alleged conduct or the potential impact of the incident.

Sexual offence investigations can involve significant ongoing support for victim-survivors as detectives gather evidence and attempt to identify an alleged offender.

The Kooyong investigation remains at the appeal stage.

Police have a description, a facial composite, footage connected to the incident and a piece of clothing allegedly torn from the fleeing man.

What they do not yet have publicly is the identity of the person they want to question.

That makes the movements of the man before and after the chase a central unanswered question.

Investigators are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident, has footage or has information that could assist the inquiry to contact Crime Stoppers.

Information can be provided confidentially.

For the two women, what began as a routine walk along Gardiners Creek became a sudden confrontation with a stranger.

They pushed him away.

Then the eight dogs took off after him.

The images of that chase have spread rapidly, but detectives are now focused on the evidence left behind and the public information that could lead them to the man they wish to speak to.

The bright blue backpack, the distinctive clothing, the facial composite and the torn piece of fabric are all now part of the hunt for answers.

Until the man is identified and the circumstances are fully investigated, police are urging anyone with relevant information not to assume someone else has already reported what they saw.