Irvine police are seeking the public's help to identify a suspect in a sexual assault which occurred Saturday morning near the UC Irvine campus.
The suspect in the video, released by the police department, "followed the victim before restraining and groping her from behind," according to a statement by the Irvine Police Department.
Karie Davies, a spokesperson for the Irvine Police Department, said the victim was wearing a head covering resembling those worn by some Muslim women, but "we don't have any indication" that it played a role.
The investigation is "not going there with hate crime right now," according to Davies. She also stressed that although the crime occurred in the vicinity of UC Irvine, it "has nothing to do with UCI."
After a brief altercation, the suspect fled in a four-door white Nissan Sentra with a spoiler. The suspect, a white male with reddish-brown hair, is around 6 feet and 160 pounds and is believed to be in his early 20s, according to police.
In the video, he wore a gray, short-sleeved shirt with black shorts and flip-flops.
Given how clearly the video captures the suspect's face, "I'm confident someone's gonna come forward at some point" to identify him, Davies said.
Police ask anyone with information to contact Det. Mahmood at 949-724-7244 or email mmahmood@cityofirvine.org.
