Pasadena police arrest suspect accused of groping a 12-year-old girl

Investigators from the Pasadena Police Department have arrested a man who allegedly groped a 12-year-old girl while she waited for a bus to her school Thursday morning.

The incident happened a little after 9:25 a.m. while the girl sat on a bus bench outside the Lake Avenue Metro Train Station. The student went to her school and called her mom, who took her to the police department. 

She told investigators that the suspect biked south on Lake Avenue after the alleged sexual assault. 

With the help of video footage near the scene of the incident, investigators identified the suspect as 57-year-old Palmdale man Farris Tollette. He was detained at around 7 a.m. on Saturday and booked on suspicion of child molestation, police said. 

Police asked for anyone with information or video of the case to call investigators at (626) 744-4241. Anonymous tips can be sent to Los Angeles Crime Stoppers through their website or by phone (800) 222-8477.