ASU Police are searching for a man who has groped women on the Tempe campus at least seven times since March.
ASU Police Cmdr. Jim Hardina said the man has been riding on a bicycle behind women and grabbing their buttocks or breasts.
Several times, the man has circled his bicycle around and groped the women a second time, he added.
“You don’t need to be paranoid and in panic,” Hardina said. “But you do need to be aware of your surroundings.”
The most recent incidents took place on Aug. 26 and Tuesday, according to police reports.
The man is suspected of sexually abusing and assaulting a 20-year-old female student near the Psychology Building around 7:20 p.m. Tuesday by putting his hand inside her shirt and grabbing her breast, police reported.
The witness told police the man had shaggy brown hair, a white T-shirt, gold basketball shorts and a black backpack, according to a report.
The same man is also suspected of assaulting another 20-year-old female student around 4:15 p.m. on Aug. 26 near Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium by grabbing her buttocks twice while she was walking to her car, police reported.
All incidents have taken place on malls or sidewalks on the Tempe campus between 9:30 and 10:45 a.m. or between 3:00 and 8:00 p.m., Hardina said.
The man is described as having dark skin, black hair, in his early 20s and sometimes wearing a backpack, he said.
His bicycle is a mountain bike with thin tires, Hardina said.
Police issued a crime alert for the assaults in July, but the alert was updated Thursday because Tuesday’s incident was classified as sexual abuse.
“The way we’re probably going to catch this guy is [by] reporting suspicious activity to police,” Hardina said.
Anyone with information about these incidents should call ASU Police at 480-965-3456.
Reach the reporter at mhendley@asu.edu
