Shoppers detain man accused of groping 15-year-old at California mall, cops say

Onlookers sprang into action after they witnessed a 44-year-old man “grab the buttocks” of a 15-year-old girl waiting in a food court line at a California shopping mall, police said.

They detained the Portland, Oregon, man and summoned security at Mount Shasta Mall after the 4 p.m. incident Sunday, Jan. 23, Redding police said in a news release.

Security guards handcuffed the man until police arrived, the release said. He faces charges including annoying or molesting a minor and sexual battery.

Several people reported seeing the man at the mall earlier in comments on the police Facebook post about the incident.

Redding is a city of more than 91,000 people in Shasta County in Northern California.

Police ask that anyone with information on the incident call 530-225-4200.

This story was originally published January 24, 2022 at 12:25 PM with the headline "Shoppers detain man accused of groping 15-year-old at California mall, cops say."