A 6-year-old boy told his mother he was raped in a bathroom stall at Rio Hondo Park, and sheriff's detectives Sunday sought a roughly 6-foot white man with a tattooed neck.
The suspect fled in a white van with a partial license starting with "6J," witnesses told deputies. The alleged crime occurred after a soccer game in the park and was reported about 2:35 p.m. Saturday.
" ... He went into the bathroom alone, and was sexually molested by the white man with tattoos on his neck and one arm,'' sheriff's Lt. Robert Smith of the Pico Riviera Station said.
After the assault, the man walked the boy out to his mother, witnesses told ABC7. The boy was crying, and the man told the mother the boy was calling for her and handed him over. At least one person said the suspect might have had an English or Irish accent.
After a few moments, the boy told his mother what happened, and she alerted authorities.
Witnesses told deputies the blond, blue-eyed man wore a bandanna with Mexican flag on it on his head and could have been as tall as 6 feet 2 inches and weighed about 200 pounds.
"Be very aware of where your kids are in public places," Smith said.
Anyone with more information about the alleged crime was asked to call detectives at (323) 890-5500. Anonymous tips can be left at (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or via lacrimestoppers.org.
