15-year-old escapes man accused of sexually assaulting her on trail, California cops say

A teen fought off and escaped a man accused of sexually assaulting her on a California trail, police said.

The 15-year-old was walking on Peters Canyon Trail on Monday, Jan. 2, when she passed Larry Molina, 24, who is accused of grabbing and sexually assaulting the teen as she passed, according to a Jan. 4 news release from the Irvine Police Department.

“She fought him and was eventually able to escape and run to a nearby home for help,” police said.

Police said they found Molina, who did not know the teen prior to the attack, and evidence linking him to the crime after canvassing the area. The next day, detectives said they found additional evidence of the attack at his home.

Molina was arrested and booked into jail on a count of “sexual assault of a victim under the age of 16,” police said.

Peters Canyon Trail is a 5.9-mile loop trail, typically taking a little more than two hours to complete, according to AllTrails.

“This is a very popular area for horseback riding, mountain biking, and running, so you’ll likely encounter other people while exploring,” AllTrails says.

Irvine is about 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

This story was originally published January 5, 2023 at 11:04 AM with the headline "15-year-old escapes man accused of sexually assaulting her on trail, California cops say."

Daniella Segura

McClatchy DC

Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.