SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- Police are searching for a man with a French accent who is accused of raping a woman near downtown Santa Cruz early Saturday morning.

Santa Cruz police said a white man in his mid-20s with a French accent met a woman at a downtown bar late Friday night and walked with her to a nearby levee.

Once they arrived at the levee, the man held the woman down and raped her until people nearby were alerted by the woman's screams for help, police said. The man was able to escape.

Investigators released a sketch of the man they believe is responsible for the attack and described him as 6 feet tall with a thin build and brown hair and eyes.

Witnesses said they remembered seeing at least two men with French passports enter the bar from which the woman left.

Anyone with information about the attack is asked to contact the Santa Cruz Police Department at 831-420-5820.