Berkeley sex crimes detectives ask for help to find victim
The victim, who appeared to be 16-18, was approached from behind and picked up by a man who reportedly licked her from her neck to her eye.
Police asked for the public's help Tuesday to locate the victim of a sexually motivated assault reported in downtown Berkeley earlier this month.
In a Nixle alert Tuesday, police said the incident took place Oct. 16 at 1:20 p.m. near Oxford and Center streets.
The teenager — who appeared to be 16-18 years old — was approached from behind and picked up by a man who reportedly licked her from her neck to her eye.
The man "would not let go of the victim and began walking away with them," police wrote in Tuesday's Nixle.
A bystander who saw the encounter intervened, BPD said, "allowing the victim to flee from the area without being contacted."
The suspect, who has a lengthy rap sheet, has since been arrested in connection with a robbery case, police said.
He remains in custody this week, police said.
The Berkeley Police Department asks anyone with information about the assault to call the BPD Special Victims Unit Detectives at 510-981-5717 and reference Case #2023-00050854.
Berkeley has had more than 70 felony sex crime reports involving adults in 2023 compared to 56 in 2022, compared to BPD data.
(Sex crime reports involving juveniles are not publicly broken down by the department as misdemeanor or felony cases.)
