A woman in Santa Monica had a close call after spending a few floors worth of time with a psycho who indicated he was going to rape her in an office elevator, cops said.

Lucky for the victim: The elevator opened a few stops up and someone was waiting for it, according to Santa Monica police. The witness waiting for the lift chased after the suspect unsuccessfully.

According to the SMPD ...

... it all happened Wednesday at 429 Santa Monica Blvd. when the woman arrived for work at 9 a.m. She parked in the underground garage and got in the elevator.

According to police:

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... The suspect ... emerged from an unknown location and entered the elevator.

Once the elevator doors closed, the suspect immediately assaulted the victim, while making a statement which led the victim to believe she was going to be sexually assaulted. The victim fought back and when the elevator stopped a few floors up, the suspect ran off.

The man fled down Fifth Street, cops said.

He was described as Latino or Middle Eastern, around 5 feet, 8 or 9 inches, 150 pounds, with short, straight hair, arm tattoos and a goatee. He was wearing a tank top and orange-and-red board shorts.

Maybe know him? Call the SMPD at 310-458-8495.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]