IRVINE – Police department detectives have announced the search for a sexual battery suspect who has groped Irvine’s Woodbury-area female joggers after creeping up on a skateboard.
Two victims have described the skateboard-riding suspect as a white male in his early 20s, with a thin or medium build, 5′ 10″ to 6′ tall, and wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.
According to detectives, a jogger at Rolling Green and Statuary heard someone approach her on a skateboard at 8:15 PM Monday night. She was immediately shoved to the ground, and the suspect attempted to cover her screams with his hands.
When the suspect was unable to stop his victim’s screaming, he stood up and touched her in a sexual manner before fleeing the scene on his skateboard.
A late Monday-night police report told of a similar incident at Groveland and Townsend, where a female jogger was groped by a skateboard rider on Sunday evening between 6:15 – 6:30 PM. The suspect matched the description in Monday’s case.
Authorities announced, “The Irvine Police Department is aggressively investigating this case and will increase patrols in the area. Residents who live on the streets involved, who have video surveillance footage from the time the crimes occurred, are asked to contact the Irvine Police Department.
Videos from homes that face the Jeffrey Open Space trail are also sought. Any information should be communicated to Detective Keith Herter at 949-724-7183 or kherter@cityofirvine.org (link sends e-mail).”
