Man arrested on suspicion of sexual assaults in SF's Nob Hill

SAN FRANCISCO -- Police have arrested a 39-year-old man on suspicion of targeting and sexually assaulting women in and around San Francisco's Lower Nob Hill neighborhood.

The suspect, identified as Victor Vasquez, was arrested early on the morning of March 8 in connection with a series of sexual battery offenses, police said.

Police investigators have allegedly linked Vasquez to sexual assaults dating back to September.

Police said Vasquez appears to have targeted women between 23 and 33 years of age who were walking in the neighborhood during the evenings.

After choosing a victim, Vasquez would allegedly approach the woman and grope either her upper or lower body before fleeing the scene, police said.

Vasquez was arrested by police in Collis P. Huntington Park, near Grace Cathedral, where he was loitering after park hours.

He was booked into county jail on suspicion of sexual assault and has been charged in three of the cases, according to police.

Anyone with additional information about Vasquez or anyone who has witnessed these types of assaults should contact the SFPD's Special Victims Unit at (415) 553-9225.

The investigation is ongoing and Vasquez's booking photo has not yet been released.