Suspect sought in UCI assault case

UCI police are looking for a man who sexually assaulted a woman on campus Sunday and does not appear to be a student.

At about 1:30 a.m., a man approached a woman from behind and threatened her in Parking Lot 5 area near University and Campus drives. The man was described as 5-foot-8, between 170 and 180 pounds and wearing dark blue jeans and a shirt. He ran after the attack, police said.

Cases like this, where the perpetrator seems to attack randomly, are rare on the UCI campus, police said.

Students should be aware of their surroundings and to exercise caution when alone at night, police said. Police say another man remains wanted for similar attacks dating back to 2000, but they don’t believe he committed Sunday’s incident.

UCI, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach and several other police departments in Orange County are looking for 32-year-old Alvaro Flores, a 5-foot-6 Latino man with a medium build, brown hair and brown eyes.

Flores is wanted in connection with several sexual assaults in Southern California, UCI police said.

Authorities say a series of attacks dating back to 2000 all follow the same method, where a man fitting Flores’ description sneaks up on women from behind, usually between 6 and 9 a.m. or 6 and 9 p.m. as they walk to or from large apartment complexes with carports.

Flores has several felony sexual battery cases pending with a warrant out for his arrest, court records show.

The serial attacker is known to approach women from behind and inappropriately touch them or grope them before running away.

Police say the women attacked are usually wearing skirts or dresses and carrying something like laundry or groceries.

Those with information regarding Flores or Sunday’s attack are urged to call UCI police at (949) 824-5223.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.