Sexual battery of Berkeley High student leads to suspect arrest
Berkeley police arrested a suspect for sexual battery Thursday after allegedly assaulting a Berkeley High School student a block from campus a day earlier, authorities said.
According to a press release posted by the Berkeley Police Department Facebook account, the female Berkeley High student was sexually battered by the suspect on Wednesday in Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. Police said the victim was walking on the sidewalk when she was confronted by the suspect who inappropriately touched her.
Berkeley police began an investigation in addition to offering the victim support and connecting her with resources following the incident. Working with Berkeley High officials and the department's school resource officer, Berkeley police were able to identify the suspect as a 41-year-old male.
At around noon Thursday, detectives and units with the Berkeley police bike patrol took the suspect into custody without incident.
"Crimes like this affect not only the victim but also other students and the community as a whole," the Facebook post read. "We appreciate the swift actions of our officers in this case."