Juvenile arrested for 7 cases of sexual assault
A juvenile was arrested on Thursday after being accused of groping seven females who were shopping in Palm Desert.
According to officers with the Palm Desert Police Department, the incidents happened between December 14 and December 23 at two different shopping centers; one is located at Washington Street and Country Club Drive and the other is at the intersection of Washington Street and Hovely Lane.
Police said the 17-year-old suspect from La Quinta was taken to the Riverside County Juvenile Hall in Indio on Thursday after a special enforcement team spotted him riding his bicycle near one of the shopping centers where the sexual assaults were being reported.
Officers spotted the suspect after matching his description from information given to them by victims.
The women reported that they were assaulted by a man riding on a bicycle and he would grope them as they walked to various stores, according to police.
The juvenile suspect is facing charges of sexual battery.
The investigation is ongoing and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department encourages anyone with information about these incidents to contact the Palm Desert Police Department’s Special Enforcement Team at 760-836-1600.
Information can also be reported anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 760-341-STOP (7867).
