Authorities arrested a 17-year-old boy in connection to an attempted sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl in Lincoln Acres, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department announced.
A 16-year-old girl was walking along the 2900 block of Prospect Avenue new Sweetwater Road on July 26 just before 3 p.m. when the suspect tackled her to the ground. Officials said the boy surrendered to the San Diego Regional Fugitive Taskforce on Thursday just after 5 p.m. in the 800 block of Camino de la Reina in Mission Valley.
Detectives with the Sheriff’s Sexual Assault Unit identified the suspect and worked alongside the victim’s family and the fugitive task force to take him into custody.
The teenager is facing felony charges, which include kidnapping to commit rape or robbery, assault with intent to commit rape, assault by means likely to cause bodily injury and robbery.
The victim told authorities that she was able to fight the suspect off and ran away, but he eventually caught up to her and attempted to sexually assault her. A good Samaritan intervened, causing the suspect to run away with the victim’s cellphone.
Authorities said the girl suffered minor injuries from the attack.
Investigators did not say how they identified the assailant, whose identity has not been released. The sheriff’s department thanked the local community and the San Diego County Crime Stoppers, who issued a financial incentive of $1,000 for information that may lead to an arrest in the case.
