Detectives from the San Diego Police Department’s Sex Crimes Unit are probing two recent residential burglaries — including one in Pacific Beach — that also involved assaults on the female residents. The local case took place around 8 p.m. on July 14 when a man claiming to be a maintenance worker for the victim’s Pacific Beach townhouse complex told the victim he needed to shut off the water to her residence and check the water pressure in her sinks. According to investigators, the victim became suspicious of the suspect, followed him upstairs and waited outside the bathroom as he turned on the faucets and opened the cabinets. The suspect told the victim to remove all the items from under the sink. As she knelt over to see what the suspect was referring to, he immediately began punching her in the side of the face, said police. The victim screamed and fought back until he ran out of the home. The case was similar to another involving the same suspect, who used the same maintenance worker ploy to gain access to another victim’s Golden Hill apartment complex, police said. Similar to the Pacific Beach case, the male asked the victim to remove all the items from under the sink. As she bent over to empty the cabinet, the suspect grabbed the victim by the hips and pulled her into his groin area, according to investigators. The suspect also grabbed the victim’s chest over her clothing. The victim screamed and fought with the suspect. The suspect reportedly ran out of the apartment and got into a small white pick-up parked in the north alley of 2700 Broadway. He was last seen driving eastbound in the alley. Police said the suspect is described as a Hispanic male between 28-35 years of age, between 5-feet-8-inches and 6-feet-tall with a heavy build and a “beer belly.” He was wearing a T-shirt and jeans in each case. The male spoke Spanish to one of the victims and the other described him as speaking with an accent. Anyone with information is urged to contact the San Diego Police Department’s Sex Crimes Unit at (619) 531-2210 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
