Crimestoppers and the San Diego police are searching for a suspect after a woman's frightening encounter in Hillcrest this summer.
Officials released a photo of the man on Wednesday that was captured by a nearby security camera and are offering a reward for information leading to an arrest.
Investigators said the suspect, a thin white man who is about 6 feet tall with short dark hair and a patch of gray near his right temple at the time, walked into a women's locker room at 11:17 a.m. on Aug. 20 at the UCSD Clinical Training Facility, which is at 210 Dickenson St., just blocks from the main UCSD Medical Center.
After the man -- who has a tribal design tattoo circling his right arm and other tattoos on his other arm -- went into a restroom attached to the locker room, he encountered a woman who then attempted to leave, according to police. Investigators said the man then blocked her from leaving and asked, "Don't you want this?" as he gestured to his body. The suspect then left the bathroom but held the doorknob outside and prevented the victim from locking it.
Next, the man repeatedly went back into the bathroom, again blocking her exit, according to investigators, after which the woman was able to lock the locker-room door and waited inside until she heard a co-worker in the hallway outside.
Police said the victim then went outdoors to call police but saw the man -- who at the time was wearing beige shorts, a yellow reflective vest without a shirt beneath and dark sneakers -- so she fled the area, eventually contacting police to report the incident.
The man is now wanted by San Diego police for falsely imprisoning the woman, according to a Crime Stoppers release sent out on Wednesday. Anybody with information about the case is being urged to call police at (619) 692-4800. Tips can be called in anonymously to Crime Stoppers at (888) 5808477. Tipsters who report information that leads to an arrest could qualify for a reward of up to $1,000.
