The suspect, Rafael Cortez, reportedly followed the woman into the elevator and repeatedly groped her chest before punching her as she tried to fight him off.
The initial incident occurred on June 25 at Extra Storage, located at 17 Shield, when a woman was waiting for an elevator. As the doors opened, two men exited, one of whom looked at the woman and followed her back into the elevator.
According to Irvine Police Department's press release, the man"became fixated on her," and began to reach towards her chest, sexually battering the woman. As the woman pushed him away and told him to stop, the man"began to aggressively grab at her chest" before he punched her multiple times, causing visible injury.
She was able to escape from the elevator after it had reached the first floor. He ran to a moving truck parked nearby and fled from the scene. Investigators with IPD were able to locate the suspect, now identified as 26-year-old Los Angeles resident Rafael Cortez, and took him into custody. He was booked on felony sexual battery, assault and battery and false imprisonment.
At the time of the assault, he was reportedly employed by a moving company that was at the storage unit.
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