Cops: Man took pictures of women, masturbated near Patterson Hall
When a woman reported seeing a man masturbating on campus last month, many details about who he was weren’t clear.
A Carolina Alert email sent to students described the suspect only as an “overweight” and “possibly Hispanic” man with dark hair wearing a T-shirt.
Now, police think they know who he is.
Luis Alberto Arce Ruiz, 51, of West Columbia, was arrested Thursday morning in connection with the incident and is charged with indecent exposure, according to Capt. Eric Grabski, a spokesman for USC’s Division of Law Enforcement and Safety.
A criminal record check found no prior arrests, according to the State Law Enforcement Division.
At around 12:45 a.m. on Aug. 24, the witness saw a man with his pants down and genitals exposed, sitting in a dark blue Chevrolet Trailblazer, which was parked at a meter near the intersection of Bull and Devine streets, according to an incident report and the Carolina Alert.
She also saw the man taking pictures of passing women, according to the report.
But when he saw that she’d seen him, he fled, heading up Bull Street toward Greene Street, according to the report.
That’s the moment that may have solved the case.
The woman took note of his license plate number and gave it to police.
That led them to Ruiz, who she identified in a lineup, according to Grabski. Other witnesses identified the same man, Grabski said.
“That was probable cause for us to get the arrest warrant,” Grabski said.
A judge set bail of $3,000 a few hours after the Thursday arrest, according to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center website, and Ruiz was released around midday.