Man arrested in series of sexual battery incidents in Point Richmond tunnel
A suspect was arrested in a series of sexual battery incidents in Richmond at the Point Richmond Tunnel, police said.
The Richmond Police Department said in a press release on Tuesday that 56-year-old Richmond resident Ronald Bryant was arrested following an investigation that began in June.
On June 8, police said a victim was approached by a person while inside the Point Richmond Tunnel at about 11:45 a.m., who made unwanted physical contact before running away. Three days later, a person reported a sexual battery inside the tunnel by a person who approached her while she was jogging at about 7:50 p.m., police said.
On July 15, a person was walking in the tunnel at about 9:30 a.m. when she saw another person walking in the tunnel, and as she attempted to walk past him, he made unwanted physical contact with her, police said. The victim managed to get the attention of a passing motorist who stopped, prompting the suspect to run away, police said.
In each of the incidents, the suspect was described as a Black male, 45-50 years old, bald or with short hair, and gold teeth grills. Police said based on the locations of the incidents and the suspect's description, it was believed the same person is responsible for the three sexual batteries.
The investigation involved using undercover decoy operations, Flock license plate reader data, and collected forensic evidence from the scenes, police said. Detectives identified Bryant as the suspect, and on August 12, he was arrested in Richmond. The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office filed charges on August 15 against Bryant, which include assault with intent to commit a felony, false imprisonment by violence, and sexual battery
Bryant is being held at the West County Detention Facility in Richmond on $200,000.00 bail. His first court appearance is scheduled for August 28.