Man Is Suspected in 6 Attacks

A Los Alamitos man who was arrested on suspicion of molesting a 12-year-old girl as she walked to school in Cypress this week is being investigated for a string of similar attacks since August, police said Wednesday.

Jason Edward Mirakian, 26, is suspected of fondling girls on six separate occasions, all in the morning hours, and usually targeting 14-year-old and 15-year-old girls, said Lt. Michael Idom of the Cypress Police Department.

Mirakian was arrested in Anaheim Tuesday and charged with sexual battery, a felony. He is being held on $250,000 bail at the Orange County Jail.

Police began investigating Mirakian on Monday, when a caller reported an apparent purse snatching at the intersection of Bloomfield Street and Ball Road, Idom said.

The witness jotted down the license plate number and description of the suspect’s vehicle, and gave police the information.

A short time later, the victim notified school authorities of the incident, and they alerted police.

“With what the victim was telling us, we were able to put the two together,” Idom said.

Mirakian allegedly would park his pickup on a side street, walk to a main thoroughfare and approach young girls to ask for the time or directions, Idom said. He would then allegedly fondle her breasts and buttocks and then run away, Idom said.

Police are also investigating Mirakian for five incidents between Aug. 24 and Dec. 9, Idom said.

Mirakian is expected to be arraigned in court today.