Man molests girl inside Hayward 99 Cents Only Store

HAYWARD, Calif. (KGO) -- The Alameda County Sheriff's office says a man, seen on store surveillance cameras, molested an 8-year-old girl in the toy aisle of a 99 Cents Only Store in Hayward in the Creekside Center.

The incident happened around 1:45 p.m. Sunday afternoon and her mother was just steps away.

"The male cornered the little girl in the aisle and grabbed her and forcefully put his hand down her pants," Alameda County sheriff Sgt. Ray Kelly said.

Anginee Valencia, a customer, said she was surprised that something like this happened inside the 99 Cents Only Store. "There's workers stocking the shelves and bringing out things all the time," she said.

Police say the girl's mother was right around the corner as the suspect casually walked out of the store. Other customers complain about the number of vagrants and homeless in the parking lot.

"I've never known the homeless folks in that area to do any type of crime like this, so this is not very common for that area for something like this to happen," Kelly added.

The suspect is described as a Latino man between 18 to 20 years old. He's thin, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds.

If you recognize him, call the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.