Suspect sought for sexual assault

Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, UC Irvine 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.

A similar incident happened Sunday on UCI’s campus, police said.

Those with information regarding Flores or Sunday’s attack at the college are urged to call UCI police at (949) 824-5223 or the Huntington Beach Police at (714) 960- 8811.

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