A sexual assault suspect is being sought at the University of California, Santa Barbara, after a woman reported being stalked and groped in broad daylight. This incident is the second campus-wide warning issued by the UCSB police in less than two months, following a brutal rape and strangulation of an 18-year-old freshman reported in May.
Incident Details
The latest incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on June 24, as the victim walked along a paved access road on UCSB’s West Campus. A man riding a bicycle passed the victim before circling back multiple times over the next 15 minutes. During the first two encounters, he stopped to ask questions. On the third pass, he approached the victim from behind, groped her, and fled toward nearby Tierra De Fortuna Park.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic or Middle Eastern man, about 35 years old, approximately 5-foot-8 with a thin build, shaved head, brown eyes, and scruffy facial hair. He was wearing a gray tank top or cut-off T-shirt, shorts, and a black backpack while riding a bicycle. Police said he was not known to the victim.
Previous Incident
The warning is the second issued by UCSB police since May, when an 18-year-old freshman reported she was raped and strangled after meeting a man at a Sigma Pi fraternity party before returning to her dorm at Tropicana Gardens in Isla Vista. That investigation remains unsolved.
Days after the attack, the survivor’s family, through attorney Tyrone Maho, publicly appealed for witnesses to come forward, saying anyone who attended the Sigma Pi fraternity party or was near Tropicana Gardens on the night of May 9 could hold critical information.
The family also urged the chancellor to ask the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office to take over the investigation, arguing the attacker remained ‘a potential threat to our community,’ while expressing gratitude for the work already done by UC Santa Barbara police.
UC Santa Barbara has been ranked the nation’s top party school by Niche for the past two years. Campus crime data also show the university has recorded more than 100 reported rapes between 2022 and 2024, according to its Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
