Los Angeles police have arrested a man suspected of sexually assaulting a woman on the UCLA campus on March 24.
Babak Rahimzadeh, 54, is accused of grabbing the victim and sexually battering her near the third-floor restroom of the Public Affairs Building, according to the UCLA Police Department.
Authorities tracked Rahimzadeh to a home in Santa Monica and were able to convince him over the phone to turn himself in, according to police.
“He seemed out of place, just kind of acting weird, acting like he belonged,” said Juan Matute, a UCLA staff member. “I confronted him, asked him why he was there and he said he was a professor. I didn’t believe him and I asked to see his identification.”
Rahimzadeh then left the room and allegedly approached a woman down the hall, according to officials. The woman reported that he had approached her under the guise of asking for directions.
“A staff member responded to give him directions, turned away, he followed her and then grabbed her as she walked away,” said Lt. Mark Littlestone with the UCLA Police Department.
Officers recognized Rahimzadeh from a separate incident last year, according to Littlestone.
“He was again contacted by us for acting suspiciously, was warned of that behavior and then let go at that time,” said Littlestone. “Because we now had a name for that person, we were able to get another picture, and confirm that with the victim who was grabbed, and identify that yes, that was the person.”
Rahimzadeh is being held on a $25,000 bail and was booked into Men’s Central Jail, according to police.
