Santa Barbara Police have arrested a 33-year-old man for allegedly lifting the skirt of a woman waiting at the corner of Figueroa and Chapala Streets and then photographing her.

The woman, who had been walking to the bank at the time, told police that she felt a slight bump at her thighs and realized what the man was doing. He then sped away on his bicycle, she told officers. The woman described him as Hispanic and wearing a black exercise shirt, red mesh shorts, and a baseball cap.

Officers began to search the downtown area for a man fitting this description, and one officer saw a match near the corner of State and Carrillo streets. The suspect again fled, police said, but was ultimately apprehended on East Padre Street. According to a police report on the matter, a search of his belongings revealed “numerous photographs and videos of women out in public,” including several other up-the-skirt shots, spanning about two months.

The man was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of obtaining a photo for sexual gratification without consent as well as resisting or delaying an officer. The police are encouraging anyone else who may have witnessed or been a victim of similar activity to call Detective Terrence at (805) 897-2335.

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