By Khalida Sarwari
The Watsonville Police Department is investigating a pair of similar sexual batteries that occurred within 15 minutes of each other Monday night.
The first attack occurred at about 5:20 p.m. and involved a 30-year-old woman, police said. The victim was walking on Ohlone Parkway near Kingfisher Drive when she suddenly felt someone grab her buttocks, police said.
The stranger then reached around and grabbed the woman’s groin area and pulled her toward some nearby bushes. The victim hit the suspect with an umbrella she was carrying, and he released her and fled toward Kingfisher Drive.
He is described as a man in his late 20s to early 30s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall, with short hair and a medium, muscular build. He was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.
At about 5:35 p.m., a similar incident occurred less than a mile away in the parking lot of the Crossroads Shopping Center in the 1800 block of Main Street, police said.
A 17-year-old girl told police she was walking in the area when she saw a man drive by and look at her, police said. A few minutes later, she heard someone running behind her and glanced back to see the man from the car. He ordered her to “come over here” in Spanish and then tackled her and began grabbing her buttocks and groin, according to police.
The victim kicked and hit the man and was able to escape.
She said the suspect appeared to be in his late 20s, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, with short black hair and a stocky build. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. His vehicle was described as a silver Pontiac Grand Am or GT.
Neither victim was injured in the attacks.
Anyone with information about the cases is asked to call the investigations unit of the Police Department at (831) 768-3350 or the crime tip line at (408) 728-3544.