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San Leandro Police Seek Man Suspected Of Inappropriately Touching Girls At Target, Walmart

SAN LEANDRO (CBS SF) -- San Leandro police are asking for the public's help to find a man they say disregarded the fact he was on video and inappropriately touched two young girls in Target and Walmart stores.

Police first responded to a report at 7:45 p.m. Monday from a mother who said a man approached her two daughters in the Walmart located at 15555 Hesperian Blvd.

The man inappropriately touched the older of the two siblings while their mother was in another aisle. The girl screamed, scaring the man away, police said. The two girls told their mother, who contacted store security, who in turn told police.

Officers then responded to a second report of a similar incident 15 minutes later at the Bayfair Center Target store at 15555 E. 14th St. The man approached another young girl, whose mother was nearby, and touched her inappropriately, police said.

"We think that he probably disregarded the fact that it was on video.  He was acting upon his urges and had to offend that night," San Leandro Police Lieutenant Robert McManus told KPIX 5.

The girl told her mother, who attempted to confront the suspect as he was walking away, but police said he fled the store quickly. The mother reported the assault to a uniformed security officer, who called police.

Officers were able to obtain store security footage of both incidents and spoke with the mothers involved. Police said they believe it was the same suspect in both incidents and he may have driven directly from Walmart to Target. The stores are approximately 1.4 miles away from each other.

Police described the suspect as between the ages of 25 and 40 years old and approximately 6 feet to 6 feet 3 inches tall with a medium build. He is clean-shaven with brown hair and light brown eyebrows.

"There is no doubt in my mind that someone who's watching tonight's newscast who knows the man in this security video." McManus said.

The man was wearing a black, long-sleeved dress shirt, red tie, black slacks and black dress shoes at the time of the incidents, police said. Because of his style of dress, officers said it's likely the man is employed at some type of retail environment where he has contact with customers, such as a restaurant, hotel, or sales position.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the San Leandro Police Department at (510) 577-2740 or to submit an anonymous tip at (510) 577-3278. People can also text "TipSLPolice" to 888777 to send an anonymous text message.

© Copyright 2014 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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