SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco police have announced an arrest Friday in last week’s sexual assault of a child in a public restroom at Golden Gate Park.
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SFPD Interim Chief Paul Yep said that a 19-year-old San Francisco man was arrested Thursday in Pleasant Hill, a week after the assault was reported.
The big break came from a tip from a parent and the arrest happened after police did surveillance and DNA testing.
The victim is a minor who was going to the bathroom during soccer practice at the Polo Fields at Golden Gate Park.
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The suspect was booked Thursday into San Francisco Jail on felony charges, including kidnapping, sexual battery, and sexual battery on a minor.
The attack has had families on edge since it happened in a bathroom at the Polo Fields, where many kids have sports practice.
City officials hope the arrest brings some peace of mind to families who visit the park.
“For so many families, Golden Gate Park is a place of joy, it’s where our kids, including my own go to play and to grow,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said. “Like any parent, I want to know that my kids are going to be safe when they go to the park and every family deserves that.”
“I too am a parent of children who play soccer in this city, including a 9-year-old daughter who has practices at these fields countless times,” District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said. “And I know what this has done and how this has rocked the parent community, the soccer community across our city. And so this is one step forward to making sure that parents across this city are reassured that when we take our children to practice that they will be safe, and that this city will respond if something does happen that requires this level of a response.”
Since the attack, San Francisco Rec and Park has stationed a ranger in the area during after-school hours and a security camera has been installed.
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