Bicyclist Sought in Sneak Attacks on Women : Crime: Two victims give different descriptions of a man who assaulted them and then sped away.

Police are seeking a bicyclist who quietly rides up behind women on the street, assaults them, then speeds away.

The attacks--two last month--occurred in south Arcadia, a large residential area where walking and jogging are popular pastimes, Detective Stephen Fallavollita said.

On Oct. 7, a middle-aged woman was walking about 9:50 a.m. near 6th and Longden avenues when a male cyclist came up behind her and grabbed her buttocks and crotch, Fallavollita said.

He said the woman described her attacker as a Latino, about 30 years old, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, stocky build, with short, black, wavy hair. The bicycle was described as a dark blue or black “beach cruiser.”

The detective declined to provide further information about the attack.

The second victim, a 52-year-old real estate saleswoman, who said she got a good look at her attacker, provided a different description. She said the man was Anglo, between 25 and 30, weighed about 180 pounds, and had straight, collar-length black hair. He was wearing a polo shirt and denim pants.

Despite the differing descriptions, police said they believe the same man was responsible for both attacks.

The real estate saleswoman said she was jogging on 6th Avenue on Oct. 17 about 7:30 a.m., when the man grabbed her from behind and shoved her to the ground. He got on top her and began fondling her, she said. When she pushed him off, the man tripped, then got up and fled on his bicycle.

“I tried to scream, but nothing came out,” she recalled during a telephone interview Monday. “I guess it was just panic.

“When he rode away, he was holding his arms in the air swinging them back and forth--like he was on some trip.”

The woman said she ran to nearby houses seeking help, but got no response. She continued running until she saw the man standing at the front door of a house on Beverly Drive. The man saw her and began following her, she said.

The 4-foot-11 inch, 100-pound woman said she was able to elude the man by taking a shortcut onto Live Oak Avenue.

“When I got home, all I wanted to do was take a shower,” she said. “I couldn’t scrub enough. . . . My legs were like rubber, and I was shaking.”

The woman said she called her husband at work and he came home. They notified police, who drove the couple to the scene on 6th Avenue, between Live Oak and Longden avenues, where they conducted an unsuccessful search for the attacker.

Neighborhood Watch groups have been instructed to call police if they see residents being followed by a bicyclist or if they see anyone who looks or acts suspiciously.

The real estate saleswoman said she often drives around looking for her attacker. On Sunday night, while driving home from an open house, she spotted the man.

“I got nervous and couldn’t dial the police’s telephone number on my car phone,” she said. “He was on the same bike. Our eyes met.

“He’s still out there.”