CHULA VISTA (CNS) - A man who is believed responsible for a five-month spree of groping assaults on women and teenage girls in Chula Vista struck again Wednesday, authorities said.
A woman made an emergency call about 10:45 a.m. to report that a stranger had grabbed her breasts as she walked on the east side of the 700 block of Broadway about 10 minutes earlier, police spokesman Bernard Gonzales said.
Following the assault, according to the victim, the man ran away to the west, disappearing into a row of businesses and apartment buildings.
The woman described him as a thin, dark-haired, roughly 5-foot-2-inch Latino who appeared to be about 30. He was wearing blue jeans, a gray shirt and a gray baseball hat.
The crime marked the 16th known groping incident in the same general area since September. In all cases, the victims have been walking on public streets when they were grabbed and fondled over their clothing by a man who then bolted.
Since many of the targeted women were unable to get a good look at the assailant, descriptions of him have varied. Due to the similarity of the crimes, however, police believe one man is responsible for all of them.
In most of the cases, the groper was wearing a hooded sweat shirt, Gonzales said.
Police plan to hold a community meeting about the assaults at Chula Vista High School on the evening of Feb. 17.
