Behind the Badge
A man suspected of several incidents of sexual battery on females in the Cal State Fullerton area was arrested Tuesday night, and police believe there potentially may be more victims.
Fullerton Police, in conjunction with California State University Fullerton Police, arrested Jose Alfredo Gradilla-Cuevas, 21, of La Habra, following a stakeout in which cops observed him park his car and run up behind a lone female victim and slap her on the buttocks.
That incident occurred at around 7:10 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Nutwood and Placentia Avenues in Placentia.
After slapping the woman, Gradilla-Cuevas ran from the area on foot but was immediately detained and arrested, according to a Fullerton PD news release.
Police had been watching Gradilla-Cuevas for weeks because they had observed him in a car similar to one captured on a security video in the area of an earlier assault.
Detectives from the Fullerton PD believe Gradilla-Cuevas may have been involved in at least seven reported incidents of sexual battery on females in the northeast area of Fullerton near CSUF.
All of the incidents allegedly occurred between August 2014 and February 2015 during the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.
In each case, the suspect approached the female victims from behind and sexually battered them by grabbing a private part of their bodies, according to the news release.
The suspect then would immediately flee the area. None of the victims were injured in the reported sexual battering incidents, the news release said.
In all cases, the suspect was described as a male Caucasian or Hispanic, 21 years to 29 years, between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 11 inches with dark hair. He often was reported wearing a dark-colored shirt or sweater and dark-colored pants or jeans.
During their surveillance of Gradilla-Cuevas, detectives observed him stalking dozens of potential victims in Fullerton, Placentia and La Habra, according to the news release.
Based on the investigation, police believe there may potentially be additional victims in the cities of Fullerton, Placentia and La Habra.
Anyone with any information about Gradilla-Cuevas or any of these incidents is urged to contact Det. C. Wright of the Fullerton Police Department’s Family Crimes Unit at 714-738-6754.
