Police arrested a man they say inappropriately touched several girls at a Santa Ana laundromat on Monday.
Alan Alberto Flores, 28, was booked on suspicion of attempted kidnapping, child annoyance and sexual battery, according to Santa Ana Police Department officials and Orange County booking records.
Alan Alberto Flores, 28, is pictured in a Santa Ana Police Department booking photo following his arrest on Sept. 3, 2018.
The incident unfolded just before 1 p.m. at a laundromat on Clara Street, south of McFadden Avenue, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.
Flores first tried to touch the shoulder of a girl who was with her mother, but a good Samaritan pushed him away and admonished him, Bertagna said. Flores asked the mother, "Can I have her?" Bertagna said.
Flores then tried to grab another young girl by the hand as she sat next to her father, the corporal said. A good Samaritan again shooed him away.
As he left the laundromat, Flores passed a group of kids. He grabbed several of them on the buttocks as they walked by.
Once arrested, Flores claimed that the girls were flirting with him, Bertagna said. But the video shows them merely trying to pass him on the walkway.
Erica Navarro says she's a regular customer at the laundromat, and the incident left her shaken.
“It’s dangerous," she said. You need to keep an eye on kids. It’s hard when you’re doing laundry, but you need to see clearly.”
Bertagna advised parents to never let their kids out of their sight while in public.
"It only takes a second and poof, these people can have them," Bertagna said.
Police are still trying to find and talk to seeking the girl and father pictured in the video, as well as the good Samaritan who intervened.
Bail for Flores, whose occupation is listed in booking records as "laborer," has been set at $100,000 pending his initial court appearance, scheduled Wednesday, records show.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified one of the charges Flores was booked on suspicion of. The post has been updated.