Sexual Predator Who Groped Two Girls Near I.S. 227 Taken Into Custody [Updated]

Police are seeking a sexual predator they say assaulted two young girls in separate incidents on 66th Street – just yards from I.S. 227 Edward B. Shallow.

The latest incident occurred yesterday, March 10, at 7:20am, when the man grabbed a 14-year-old’s thigh as she was walking in front of 1615 66th Street, and then ran away, cops said.

The man first struck on March 4, at 3pm, when police say he grabbed the crotch of an 11-year-old girl in front of 6601 Duryea Court before he fled.

The suspect, who appears to be a 25-year-old hispanic male, 5 feet 3 inches tall, and 160 pounds, was caught on camera in both attacks. A surveillance photo from yesterday’s incident, which can be seen above, shows the suspect wearing a plaid hoody and jeans.

Surveillance footage from March 4 shows the perpetrator, in a grey attire and black and red sneakers, looking over his shoulder:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbzpM8XSt7o&feature=youtu.be

We were not able to confirm whether the victims were students at I.S. 227 (6500 16th Avenue) in time for this article, but a spokesperson for the Department of Education told us the middle school has sent a letter home to parents, and that “appropriate safety measures are being taken.”

Police confirmed that they have increased patrols in the area. We will update this post as we know more.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website, or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and entering TIP577.

Update [1:21pm]: We have updated this post with a comment from the Department of Education.

Update [1:58pm]: Police have confirmed that they have a suspect in custody. No charges have been filed yet.

CBS reports:

Detectives from the Brooklyn Child Abuse Squad were in the neighborhood Wednesday morning when they spotted a man wearing the exact same clothing as the suspect in the video, 1010 WINS’ Carol D’Auria reported. He also had the same mannerisms.

Update [March 12, 11am]: Police have identified the suspect as Guillermo Tambriz, 21, of 1502 66th Street. He has been charged with two counts of attempted sexual abuse and acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17.

He is expected to be arraigned today, according to prosecutors.