Police: Man attacked woman in bathroom

UCI police are working on a composite sketch of a man who assaulted a woman in a campus restroom Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

According to a ZOT! Alert issued to university students, faculty and staff about 10:16 a.m. Thursday, a woman was assaulted as she washed her hands in a first-floor restroom of the UCI Information and Computer Science 2 building at 2:50 p.m. Wednesday.

“We haven’t had any crimes reported in that building all year,” said UCI Police Lt. Baltazar De La Riva.

Police said the man hid in a bathroom stall and grabbed the woman as she tried to wash her hands. She fought him off and he ran away, police said.

Police searched the area but could not find their suspect.

“Based on the statements from the victim, she first saw the individual as she turned to face him, the individual reached out and grabbed her neck area,” De La Riva said.

“She immediately fought him off, the guy backed off, the victim kicked the suspect, pushed him off and kicked him.”

No words were exchanged between the two and the man ran off, police said.

The suspect is described as a male Latino, 25 to 30 years old, 5-foot-6 wearing a black hat, black shirt and blue jeans.

De La Riva said the case is a perfect example of why victim cooperation is valuable to their investigation. Without a firsthand account, officers would have no description of the attacker and little to go on.

“The victim may provide a key piece of information that could lead us to the suspect or give us key information that links to other cases,” De La Riva said. “That’s the importance of why we encourage victims to come forward when any type of crime has taken place ... we want to make sure it’s an isolated case and it’s not a suspect that’s been involved in other cases.”

Irvine police combed the crime scene for any evidence, he said. If you have any information regarding this incident or the suspect or see any suspicious activity, call UCI police at (949) 824-5223.