La Mesa

An 8-year-old La Mesa girl was sexually assaulted by a man who befriended her while she was playing in the parking lot of her apartment complex, police said Monday.

The victim was playing in the 4900 block of Comanche Drive between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. July 18 when a man approached her and asked her about a good place to play basketball, Detective Mike McIntyre said.

The two then played catch with a ball that he had brought with him. After some time, he pulled her into the brush and sexually assaulted her.

The assailant told the girl his name was “Terry,” and he was carrying a black and white soccer-type ball, McIntyre said. He is described as white, in his 20s, 6 feet tall with a thin build and blond to reddish wavy hair. He is also reported as being clean-cut, with no facial hair and having “dots” on his nose or high on his cheekbones. He was reportedly wearing a shirt that had arrows pointing up and down on it, in a pink and black design with a blue collar, white shorts and white sneakers with black on the sides.

Anyone with information is asked to call La Mesa police at 469-6111.