Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies arrested a man on suspicion of attempted lewd acts against a child, which was alleged to have occurred in a restroom at the Valencia mall on Friday afternoon.
The suspect, Andres Madrigal, 69, of Saugus, was arrested on suspicion of attempted lewd acts upon a child, according to Sheriff’s Department arrest records.
The alleged incident involving a man who inappropriately touched a boy was reported to the Sheriff’s Station at 2:55 p.m., according to Ed Luna of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
The alleged victim, a boy under the age of 14, reportedly contacted a parent after the alleged assault occurred in a public restroom, near the Solitas restaurant, at the Westfield Valencia Town Center, according to Sgt. Brian Hudson of the Special Victims Bureau of the Sheriff’s Department.
The parent sensed something was wrong, talked to the child and contacted mall security, officials said. Mall officials were able to detain the suspect at the restroom until deputies arrived, officials said.
“Deputies are conducting an investigation that is going to be handled by Special Victims Bureau,” said Lt. Ethan Marquez of the SCV Sheriff’s Station, shortly after the initial report. “It involves an adult and a child.”
The suspect was being held Friday night in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to SCV Sheriff’s Station officials.