Man Held After Girls, 11 and 9, Report Molestation

Two young girls shopping at a Van Nuys supermarket were the victims of an alleged sexual assault Monday, and police are investigating if the man who was jailed after the incident is responsible for similar attacks in the Los Angeles area.

The girls, ages 11 and 9, were shopping at 3:30 p.m. Monday in the Ralphs grocery store at 15230 Vanowen St. when Jorge Flores, 36, allegedly approached the older girl from behind and began to rub against her. After she turned around and saw him, Flores allegedly moved toward the 9-year-old and began to touch her, police said.

When the girls ran and alerted store employees, Flores fled the store, tossing off some of his clothing to make himself less easily identified, police said. But with a helicopter tracking him, patrol officers were able to apprehend Flores a few blocks from the store.

Flores, who police said is homeless, was arrested and booked on suspicion of child molestation. His bail has been set at $100,000.

Police said Tuesday they are investigating the possibility that Flores might be responsible for other attacks in the area.

“You have an individual committing a blatant act like this in public, it’s more probable than not he has done something like this before, so that’s what we’re checking for,” said LAPD spokesman Mike Partain.