Holly MatkinCorona, CA – A pre-teen girl was thrown to the ground by a man in a dress and nearly sexually assaulted while walking to school Wednesday morning, according to police.
The incident occurred near the Cesar Chavez Academy K-8 school on Paseo Grande at approximately 7 a.m. on Oct. 13, The Mercury News reported.
The Corona Police Department (CPD) said in a press release that a concerned citizen flagged an officer down in the 2100-block of West Ontario Avenue and reported a naked man was just seen riding a bicycle in the area.
Police searched the area and soon spotted 41-year-old Carlos Martinez riding a bike near the school.
Martinez was naked, according to police.
Upon further investigation, police discovered Martinez had been wearing “women’s clothing” a short while earlier when he stumbled upon a 12-year-old girl who was walking to school, the CPD said.
“Martinez shoved the student to the ground with his bicycle and removed his clothing, exposing his nude body while making sexual references,” according to police.
The quick-thinking little girl was able to scramble to her feet and escaped her attacker by running inside a school bus parked nearby.
Martinez began fighting with police when they confronted him near the school, CPD Detective Daniel Clary told The Mercury News.
The naked man was ultimately taken into custody after a brief struggle, Det. Clary said.
School officials sent a message to parents and guardians about the incident, confirming the “perpetrator was seen without clothing riding a bicycle,” according to The Mercury News.
“As our school [buses] arrived, this individual rode directly in view of our students,” the message said.
The school said it has brought in additional counselors to assist students in the wake of the ordeal.
Martinez was being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center on $50,000 bail on charges of suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and attempted rape of a minor, Det. Clary told The Mercury News.
