Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Taking Upskirt Photos At Irvine Home Decor Store
IRVINE (CBSLA.com) — Irvine police have arrested a HomeGoods store employee who is accused of taking photos underneath a female customer's skirt.
The incident was reported on Nov. 12 after a customer at the HomeGoods store at 6214 Irvine Blvd. felt her skirt move.
She looked back and saw an employee holding a cellphone up her skirt, police said.
The suspect was identified as Matthew Torres, 22, of Irvine.
When the customer confronted Torres, he ran toward an "employees-only" area of the store.
Officers arrived and contacted Torres, who admitted to the activity and turned over his phone to police.
Police say they found a large number of inappropriate photographs on the device. The victim was able to identify photos of herself.
The suspect was taken into custody after the victim signed a citizen's arrest.
The Irvine Police Department is asking female customers who have visited that store since September and believe they may be a victim to contact Detective Sarah Tunnicliffe at (949) 724-7170.
Irvine Police told KCAL9's Stacey Butler they believe there are dozens of potential victims in this case.
She also spoke to shoppers who said they couldn't help but feel horrified about the possible invasion of privacy.
"People come here on a regular basis just to go shopping and don't really expect especially in this area," said Josianne Lessard.
HomeGoods store management has cooperated with police in the investigation, authorities said.