A sick sexual assault suspect is on the loose after following a woman home from a Los Angeles-area gym and attacking her, police said.
The LAPD is now asking for the public’s help in identifying the pervy perp, who approached the woman from behind after she left a Planet Fitness gym in North Hollywood around 8:30 p.m. on July 19.
The man is accused of forcibly removing the victim’s pants and underwear before sexually assaulting her with his hand.
The lead detective on the case is “desperate” for the public’s help in finding the suspect because he could be a serial predator who targeted women outside other area gyms, police told ABC7.
He is described as standing 6 feet tall, with brown eyes and black hair, a large build and a thick neck, police said.
Surveillance images released by police show a heavyset man in blue jeans and a beige jacket. The man at certain points is shown on his phone.
Area residents told ABC7 that the news has them more alert and cautious.
“It honestly made me feel kind of scary because I’m like around the area…so it made me kind of wonder if it’s the gym that I go to,” local resident Jessica Orazco said. “But yeah, it’s a pretty scary situation.”
The manager of the gym told KTLA that any member who feels unsafe can ask an employee for an escort to their vehicle in the parking lot.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact LAPD’s North Hollywood Sex Detectives at (818) 754-8458.
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