Irvine, Calif. (Jan. 24, 2018) – The Irvine Police Department (IPD) has made an arrest in a string of sexual battery cases that occurred in recent months the City. The suspect in these cases groped women who were out jogging. In one high-profile case, the suspect attacked a jogger in the Woodbury neighborhood, throwing her to the ground and touching her in a sexual manner before her screams caused him to flee.
Keenan Al-Sayed Ahmad, 18, is a student at Northwood High School. He was arrested Friday after committing another sexual battery. On Friday around 2 p.m., Ahmad spotted a jogger on the Jeffrey Open Space Trail. He approached her on his skateboard and grabbed her buttocks. The victim called IPD, and officers responding to the scene were able to locate Ahmad based on the description provided by the victim. The victim then identified Ahmad as the person who groped her. Ahmad was arrested and later released on bond.
In December, the Irvine Police Department sought the public’s help in identifying a suspect in two sexual battery cases that occurred in the Woodbury area. On Dec. 17, a female jogger at Groveland and Townsend was groped by a man riding past her on a skateboard. The next night, Dec. 18, a woman jogging at Rolling Green and Statuary was shoved to the ground by a man who approached her on a skateboard.
The suspect shoved her to the ground and covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Unable to stop her screams, the suspect got up and touched the victim in a sexual manner before fleeing. IPD’s investigation has linked Ahmad to these cases, and the Department will seek charges including felony assault with intent to commit rape and sexual battery.
The investigation in this case is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Irvine Police Department Detective Keith Herter at 949-724-7183 or kherter@cityofirvine.org.
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