Man assaults woman in Manhattan Beach public restroom
An El Segundo woman claimed that a man struck her and threatened to sexually assault her last week in a Manhattan Village Mall bathroom if she didn’t hand cash over to him, police said.
The victim, a 28-year-old woman, claimed to police that on May 9, she entered a stall in a public, women’s restroom in the mall, and, shortly after, heard a voice outside the stall say something that “tricked her” into opening it, authorities said. No one else was present in the bathroom at the time.
The woman told police that when she opened the stall door, a man threatened to sexually assault her if she didn’t give him money. She said that the man grabbed her and struck her arm against the stall door several times while trying to grab her purse.
“She cried and kicked the suspect, then he fled the bathroom,” Rosenberger said. “She did not see where he went.”
A mall security officer found the woman lying on the floor outside the bathroom, crying, and called police.
No witnesses saw the suspect.
Rosenberger said that the woman suffered bruising and mild to moderate injuries to her arm, though none of her property was taken.
A crime scene investigation conducted by the MBPD didn’t reveal much, police said.
“We have since re-interviewed the victim and she’s had some difficulty recalling specifics of the event due to a current medical condition which we cannot disclose,” said Rosenberger, who noted that investigators were looking into whether or not this is the first claim of this type made by the victim.
A source said that some mall businesses sent out caution notices to employees about the incident.
The suspect is described by police as a white or Hispanic male in his late 20s or early 30s, 5 ft. 10 in. to 5 ft. 11 in., with a medium build and a dark, olive complexion, last seen wearing a dark beanie cap, a dark shirt and dark gloves. He is wanted by police for attempted robbery.