Man banned from Glendale Galleria after alleged exposure
A Los Angeles man has been banned for three years from the Glendale Galleria after he allegedly masturbated behind an unsuspecting female customer inside Macy’s, police said.
Noe Duarte, 45, was arrested Friday on suspicion of indecent exposure and vandalism after Macy’s loss-prevention workers saw him touching himself, according to Glendale police spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot.
Police could arrest Duarte, who’s on probation for prowling and unlawfully peeping, for trespassing if he is seen on the mall’s premises during the ban, she added.
Macy’s workers spotted Duarte about 1:30 p.m. inside the store after he appeared to be intentionally bumping his groin against the buttocks of several female shoppers, Lightfoot said.
“This was done very casually and the women did not appear to notice that the contact was intentional,” she said.
Soon after, workers notified police about Duarte.
Still, Duarte continued walking around the store, when he allegedly stopped and stood behind a female shopper who was browsing through racks of clothing.
As he stood behind the shopper, he reportedly covered his groin with two shirts from a rack and masturbated briefly, Lightfoot said.
Then, Duarte placed the shirts back on a clothing rack and exited the store, when police immediately detained and later arrested him.
Police talked to the shopper, who told them she wasn’t aware of his behavior.
Duarte was convicted of prowling in October 2012 and unlawfully peeping in 1997.
He isn’t the first person to be banned from the Galleria or the Americana at Brand.
Last May, police said a 43-year-old Glendale man was banned from both malls after officers reportedly saw him using his cellphone to photograph the buttocks of girls and women.
In 2012, the Galleria also banned a Hollywood man — who was sporting a zebra-print spandex outfit complete with a feather boa and fedora — after he allegedly sexually harassed a group of teenage girls inside the mall.
That same year, the Americana banned a 16-year-old boy after he allegedly tried to steal a woman’s purse at a restaurant.
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