Man, 18, is suspected of molesting two girls, including one in La Jolla

An 18-year-old man is in custody in connection with two separate child molestation cases, including one in La Jolla, and investigators are seeking additional witnesses and possibly more victims.

The San Diego Police Department said it received a call around 5:30 p.m. Oct. 3 from the mother of a 13-year-old girl reporting that her daughter had been molested by a man she didn’t know while shopping at the Goodwill store at 7631 Girard Ave. in La Jolla. Police said the man remained at the store and was arrested.

Two days earlier, the Police Department received a call from a woman who said her 11-year-old daughter had been molested by a man she didn’t know at the Target store at 5680 Balboa Ave. in the Clairemont area. The man reportedly followed the girl down one of the aisles, groped her and ran away before police officers arrived.

Detectives investigated and determined that the same man was responsible for the two assaults. The suspect was booked into San Diego County Jail with bail set at $100,000.

Anyone with information about these or similar cases is asked to call the San Diego Police Department Child Abuse Unit at (619) 531-2260 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. ◆