Suspected Cerritos Bicycle-Riding Groper Arrested

CERRITOS, CA — A Lakewood man was arrested Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of groping a woman while riding a bicycle, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced Thursday.

Ivan Arturo Lopez, 23, was taken into custody after deputies received a call of a man groping a woman while riding a bicycle. The victim was walking on the sidewalk on 183rd Street near Town Center Drive when the incident occurred, sheriff's Lt. Richard Hernandez said.

Deputies quickly located the man riding a bicycle near Bloomfield Avenue and Civic Center Drive and took him into custody, he said.

A similar incident occurred on Aug. 18 when another woman reported she was groped by a man riding a bicycle walking near Artesia Boulevard and Carmenita Road.

Investigators are looking to see if the two incidents are connected, Hernandez said.

Lopez was booked on suspicion of sexual battery and was held in lieu of $25,000 bail. He has since been released on bond, Hernandez said.

Anyone with information about this incident was encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Santa Clarita Station at (661) 255-1121. To provide information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or access the websitehttp://lacrimestoppers.org.

Photo credit: Renee Schiavone, Patch