Upland police search for young sexual predator

UPLAND, Calif. (KABC) -- Upland police are looking for a sexual predator, and investigators say the suspect could be as young as 13 years old.

Officials said the suspect has been involved in five incidents in the shopping center on the 1600 block of North Mountain Avenue.

According to investigators, the suspect grabbed the victims by the buttocks or hips. He appeared to target women in their 30s who were wearing workout clothing or yoga-type pants.

The suspect did not say anything to the victims during the assaults. In each case, he ran away to a BMX-style bicycle and fled the area.

One of the victims said she got a good look at the teenager, who appeared to be about 15 years old to her and looked clean cut.

"I'm really wary about walking by myself right now," she said.

The victim, who did not want to be identified until the suspect is arrested, said she was at a Stater Bros. Market returning some movies she'd rented from a Redbox.

"I was on my third move return and I all of the sudden felt a really aggressive thrust from behind and he had bumped himself, his privates, onto my butt and kind of grabbed the side of my body," the victim said.

She said by the time she turned around, he was gone, running into the parking lot and fleeing on a bike. What he didn't know is that she followed him down Mountain Avenue at a red light and got a good look at him.

She worked with a sketch artist at the Upland Police Department and said she fears the attacks could escalate to something more.

The suspect was described as a white or Latino male between 13 and 18 years old, standing at around 5 feet 6 inches tall with a slim build. His BMX-style bicycle is black and has a rear reflector on the back.

The suspect's clothing has varied during the incidents, but officials said he was wearing a camouflage hoodie in one incident.

Most of the attacks have happened in and around the shopping center on North Mountain Avenue.

If you have any information about this case, you're urged to contact the Upland Police Department at (909) 946-7624.