Detectives are continuing to investigate an alleged late-night sexual assault that occurred two weeks ago in the parking lot of a gas station in Simi Valley.

The victim, a 21-year-old woman from Yorba Linda, Calif., told police that at around 1:15 a.m. on Aug. 9 she was at a gas station near the 118 Freeway about to enter her car when she was grabbed from behind, thrown to the ground and sexually assaulted.

Though the victim has been unable to recall the specific gas station where the attack occurred, she was able to provide police with a description of her attacker, according to Sgt. Stephanie Shannon with the Simi Valley Police Department.

The suspect was described as male, black, 30 to 40 years of age, 5 feet 11 inches tall, 200 pounds, and wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt and jeans.

When asked if it was unusual that a victim could not recall the name of the gas station or even the exit she had taken off the freeway, Shannon said, "No.

"It's totally normal. In a traumatic incident such as this one, sometimes the victim will forget the details and over time they start to remember them," she said. "The mind is a fascinating thing, and sometimes its defense mechanism is to forget those things we don't want to remember."

The woman told police that after the alleged assault,she got in her vehicle and drove to the Placentia-Linda Hospital in Placentia, Calif. A member of the hospital staff placed a call to Simi Valley police around 4:30 a.m. and detectives responded to investigate.

Shannon said the police department always encourages victims of any crime to report the incident immediately so that any physical evidence at the crime scene isn't jeopardized.

"Time is always of the essence," Shannon said. "People should go to the nearest police station or dial 911."

This latest attack is the ninth sexual assault reported so far in Simi Valley this year; last year there were a total of 17.

Anyone with any information on this case is encouraged to call the SVPD at (805) 5836950.