A man sought in the sexual assault of a woman in a Costa Mesa mall parking lot last week turned himself in to police just after midnight on Thursday, Costa Mesa Police Department said.
The 20-year-old Orange resident turned himself in to the Santa Ana Police Department around 12:30 a.m., and said an acquaintance of his had told him his picture was on social media, Costa Mesa police said. When he checked social media, he chose to turn himself in.
On Aug. 2, the man followed a woman out to her vehicle at South Coast Plaza and sexually assaulted her about 5:40 p.m., the Costa Mesa Police Department said.
Shoppers said they were surprised to hear that the attack happened at the mall during daylight hours.
"I feel pretty safe when I come here...I just look around and make sure nobody’s following me," shopper Remy Cervantes said.
Jessica Lopez said she never leaves home without her Taser and warns her teenage daughter to look out for attackers.
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"I tell my daughter to be aware of her surrounding at all times and not to be on her phone or be distracted by anything, and if anyone were to ever grab her to run, fight, kick, scream, whatever she has to do," she said.
He was described as about 17 to 22 years old, about 5-feet-8-inches tall with a slim build and dark hair. He was wearing a dark blue shirt, shorts, gray shoes and a blue hat with a white logo on it. Police had released surveillance footage asking for the public's help to identify the man.
No arrest had been made as of Thursday morning, but Costa Mesa police had interviewed the man, according to police. Detectives planned to follow-up on the investigation.
The case was expected to be presented to the Orange County District Attorney within a few days, Costa Mesa police said.
