Felony Groping by Gangbangers
Santa Barbara – When flirting with a woman old enough to be your mother, it usually helps to: a) not physically touch her in any way, much less her “private parts” and, b) not be a known gang member.
Jesus Angel Moran
Those two fundamentals of on-the-street courtship were ignored in the early evening of November 20th, when Edgar Jesus Rojas, 18, and Jose Angel Moran, 19, followed a 52-year-old woman on the residential streets of Santa Barbara’s Eastside as she made her way home from the local Metropolitan Transit District bus stop. What first began with mere verbalizations of their appreciation for the older woman’s physical appearance soon escalated as the two young men followed in her footsteps and began what Santa Barbara Police Department Public Information Officer Sgt. Riley Harwood reported as “harassing her with catcalls.”
A block later, according to Harwood, “Rojas groped the victim, touching on top of her clothed intimate body parts.” Apparently not wanting to be left out of the fun, Moran then impeded the woman’s pedestrian progress and prevented her from walking forward “while Rojas made a lewd remark and tried to grope the victim again,” Harwood reported. It was at this time that a passerby-witness observed the victim resisting any further contact with the young men. A 911 Emergency call ensued, bringing SBPD Patrol Officers to the scene.
Edgar Jesus Rojas
Upon arrival of law enforcement, Rojas and Moran were contacted outside a nearby apartment building with some apparent resistance as Harwood reported that “Rojas resisted the officers’ efforts to detain him” and he was summarily tasered into compliance. Further investigation revealed Moran to be in possession of a screwdriver-stabbing device as well as graffiti materials; he was arrested and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of sexual battery, carrying a concealed dagger, and possession of a vandalism tool. For his romantic activities that evening, Rojas was booked on charges of sexual battery and resisting or delaying an officer. Both suspects were held on $25,000 bail.
Photos: Courtesy Santa Barbara Police Department Booking
Read more:
NBC: SB police arrest 2 in connection with sexual battery
SB Independent: Police arrest pair of gang members for sexual battery
