A suspect is sneaking up to women and trying to pull down their pants or lift up their skirts in San Diego’s South Bay area, the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said Tuesday.
According to the police department, detectives are investigating four batteries that occurred after nightfall between Dec. 13 and Dec. 20 near Del Sol and Picador boulevards.
Each case, police say, shares similarities. In all four incidents, a female victim was approached from behind and battered while walking on the sidewalk in front of a business.
"[The suspect is] walking behind the women and either pulling their pants down or skirts or dresses up," said SDPD Lt. Ernesto Servin. "We don't want it to lead to something else."
At least two of the attacks took place in front of a 7-Eleven store, and another was at a nearby Arco gas station.The fourth attack, police say, happened while a young woman was walking on the street.
Witness Aisling McGrath told NBC 7 she watched her elderly neighbor try to intervene when the suspect crept behind one of the victims.
"He saw the guy go next to her and try to pull down her pants and rob her and steal her groceries," said McGrath.
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She said her neighbor tried to hit the suspect so he would stop bothering the woman.
"I'm not surprised because there's a lot of weirdos around here," said McGrath.
At this point, police say the only description of the suspect is that he’s a light-skinned man with a thin build who wore dark-colored clothing during the attacks. Detectives say there are no photos of the suspect available.
On Tuesday, the SDPD had extra patrols where the incidents happened to prevent further attacks.
"We don't know what he's capable of," said Servin. "We don't know if it may lead to something else." He is encouraging other potential victims to come forward and help identify the suspect. They believe he is acting alone.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
