A man who stripped naked and groped a 17-year-old girl in the area of Monroe High School in North Hills remained at large Friday, and authorities said they believe the suspect and an accomplice may have been involved.
Police said they believe the attack is one of about nine similar incidents since January in areas including Chatsworth, Granada Hills and Arleta.
At about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, the teen was walking past a red compact car in the area of Plummer Street and Haskell Avenue when a man got out of the passenger side, took off his shirt and used it to cover the vehicle's license plate, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.
The suspect then stripped naked, ran up behind the girl and grabbed her buttocks, prompting her to scream, police said. The attacker fled back to the car, which was driven by a second male, and the two drove off, according to police.
The suspect was described as a roughly 30-year-old man who stands 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs 150 pounds and has a mustache. No description was available of the driver.
"At times they have driven up to female victims half-clothed," LAPD Cmdr. Tim Torsney told KCAL9. "In this particular incident (on Tuesday), the person got out of the car, covered up the license plate. He then stripped down to be completely naked.
"(His) behavior is threatening," Torsney said. "It is very dangerous. There is the potential for an actual sexual assault. And we need to identify these folks and bring them into custody immediately."
Anyone with information about the attack was urged to call detectives at the Los Angeles Police Department's Devonshire Station at 818-832-0609.
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