Irvine Girl, 12, Is Assaulted by Intruder as Family Sleeps

A 12-year-old Irvine girl was sexually assaulted by a knife-wielding intruder early Thursday as her family slept, police said Friday.

Police are searching for a man about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing about 135 pounds, with gray hair and a grayish Van Dyke beard, Irvine Police Lt. Mike White said Friday.

Surveillance in the girl’s Turtle Rock neighborhood will be stepped up, although police believe the attack was a crime of opportunity.

“It’s pretty much an isolated incident, and we haven’t had anything similar to it this year,” White said, adding: “We are, obviously, keeping an eye on the area.”

Residents should take precautions such as securing doors and windows, White said. The intruder apparently got into the single-story home through an unlocked door or window, he said.

The girl was awakened at 2:40 a.m. Thursday when the intruder pressed a three-inch blade against her throat and told her to remain quiet. The man molested the girl for about 10 minutes before leaving through her bedroom window and running off, White said.

The girl awoke her parents, who had slept through the attack, as did her 18-year-old brother. They called police and paramedics, White said.

The girl was taken to Western Medical Center, treated for a bruised leg and released. Laboratory tests to determine whether she was raped are being conducted.

White said Irvine has a low incidence of rape; there were 20 cases in 1986. He estimated that there have been 11 rapes in the city so far this year.