A 20-year-old man has been charged Friday for allegedly touching two young girls inappropriately at Walmart and Target stores in San Leandro and could be connected to similar incidents in Southern California, according to police.
Christopher German, of San Leandro, was charged by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office on two felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts for touching two young girls, ages 6 and 9, on Monday, police said.
The first incident occurred at a Walmart store at 15555 Hesperian Blvd. around 7:45 p.m. when German allegedly followed two young sisters inside and touched the older sibling, according to police.
The older girl screamed and German fled the store, police said.
The second incident happened about 15 minutes later at a Target store at the Bayfair Center at 15555 E. 14th St. where German touched another young girl while her mother was nearby, according to police.
The mothers of the girls involved in the alleged acts alerted store security staff, who in turn notified police.
Photos and video footage of the suspect at the Target store were released Wednesday and police received an anonymous tip from a Southern California resident leading detectives to identify German as the suspect.
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An off-duty Berkeley police Community Service Officer spotted German on Wednesday at a 7-Eleven store in San Leandro based on the police suspect description, police said.
German fled the store before San Leandro police arrived, but the officer provided information that helped lead to his arrest, according to police.
Detectives have learned that German moved to San Leandro six months ago after living in Southern California, police said.
"As we continue our investigation, we expect that we may discover additional victims," San Leandro police Lt. Robert McManus said in a statement.
German was scheduled to be arraigned on the charges at the Hayward Hall of Justice at 2 p.m. Friday.
Anyone with additional information on the case is asked to call San Leandro police at 510-577-2740. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call the Police Department's tip line at 510-577-3278.
