A man accused this past summer of groping and flashing at least six women across several neighborhoods — including University Heights, North Park and Pacific Beach — has been charged.
Some of the women who were assaulted posted photos on social media, showing a man, later identified as 31-year-old Erik Altamirano, jogging in tight shorts and a T-shirt.
Although Altamirano looked like a jogger out for an afternoon run, several San Diego women have told police he groped them and exposed his genitals.
Altamirano was taken into custody back in August and was charged with two felony counts of assault with the intent to commit rape. His bail at that time was set at $100,000, but just before his scheduled arraignment on July 31, it was learned the district attorney had referred the case to the San Diego City Attorney for possible misdemeanor charges.
This week, however, prosecutors charged Altamirano with four counts of misdemeanor sexual battery. He is set to make his first court appearance on Nov. 25.
NBC 7 spoke to two of the victims in August who said they were disappointed to hear about the reduced charges but happy that he was arrested.
“He lunged at me and grabbed my bottom, and he squeezed it really hard,” said a Pacific Beach woman who wanted to be called “Katie.”
After the attack, Katie called the San Diego Police Department, who took a report and drove her home. Katie later decided to do some investigating of her own. She went to the alley where the man assaulted her and began asking people with security cameras if she could review their video. Her efforts were successful. She found clear video clips of the man who wore a blue shirt and dark shorts.
Katie told NBC 7 that after she posted the videos on social media and plastered the neighborhood with flyers showing the man’s image, several other women contacted her to say they had been victimized by him, too.
“Shaky voice, shaky hands, I didn’t know what to do,” a North Park woman, who wished only to be identified as “Rebecca,” told NBC 7.
Rebecca said the assault occurred one day last August at 1 p.m. while she was on her daily walk. She said she reported her assault to police 20 minutes after the man flashed and aggressively grabbed her backside. She posted about it on the North Park Nextdoor app.
“I put a lot of my attention onto the Instagram and doing these certain types of things, which I think helped with emotions,” Rebecca said.
On Instagram, Rebecca discovered a video of the man. It was a post from Katie. Rebecca reposted the video and information she was able to find in public records and online.
Rebecca said she encountered the man next to the playground at Garfield Elementary School when she was walking southbound on Idaho Street. She said he ran past her to the corner, then turned around and came back. He had a smirk on his face and exposed himself to her, and, according to Rebecca, there were also children on the playground.
“I wanted to run after him, but I think my brain kind of took over, and it was like, ‘Nope. We’re a little frozen here. We are not doing that,'” Rebecca said.
The encounter left Rebecca rethinking her security options. She said at the time that she began to carry a knife and pepper spray wherever she goes.
“I can’t walk the same anymore, at least as of now,” Rebecca said. “I do freeze up a little bit when I see the shadow of a man walking toward me.”