The morning of November 11, 2020, two sisters, 10 and 12, rode their bikes to the laundromat on 364 N Ellsworth Avenue in San Mateo. As the older sister locked up their bikes, the 10-year old went in to get change. As she was doing this, a man walked up behind her, pulled down his pants, and bear-hugged her while thrusting his pelvis towards her for approximately 25 seconds.
He tried to pull her into the back room but she managed to escape and find her sister. They quickly made their way back home where they told their mom what happened; she called the police.
Police Officers were able to obtain security footage of the incident. They recognized the suspect from previous contacts, 46-year old transient, Ignacio Rosendo Martinez, a high-risk sex offender required to register. Officers searched the area for Martinez but could not locate him.
About 2PM San Mateo Police Department dispatch received a call about a homeless man trespassing on an apartment complex on the 200 block of Elm Street. They located the alleged trespasser in the boiler room and identified him as Martinez, the same man from the laundromat surveillance footage. The victim also identified Martinez as the man who assaulted her.
Martinez was arrested for assault to commit rape, attempted rape, attempted kidnapping, contact minor with intent to commit a felony, commit lewd acts by force/fear, willful cruelty to a child, annoy/molest child, failure to register as a sex offender, and violation of parole terms. He was booked at the San Mateo County Jail.
