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The incident, which occurred at 2:50 p.m. on Sunday, follows another attempted sexual assault of a 44-year-old woman that occurred just blocks away in Valencia on Friday and the rape of a 30-year-old woman in Castaic on Aug. 30.
The three did not appear to be related, officials said, though the news has left some Santa Clarita Valley residents shaken.
In Sunday's incident, the 16-year-old girl was running alone down the South Fork bicycle trail Sunday afternoon when she ran past a man, sheriff's Lt. Brenda Cambra said.
He then began following her. The girl left the bike path on Valencia Boulevard, north of Creekside Road, and jogged westbound on the road until she reached Citrus Street. She stopped there, less than a block from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station, and the suspect assaulted her, Cambra said.
"(He) came up behind, grabbed her buttocks with both hands and then took off," Cambra said.
Then the man fled into the paseos behind Citrus Street and Valencia Boulevard, Cambra said.
The girl flagged down someone to call police. Deputies arrived within seven minutes of the call, Cambra said.
The man was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black shirt and a black and orange baseball cap. He appeared to be a black man, 20 to 25 years old, about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and 150 pounds.
The case was referred to the sheriff's Special Victims Bureau, Cambra said.
‘The world we live in'
Santa Clarita Valley residents and commuters said they are surprised to hear about the sexual assaults in an a community they generally consider safe.
"It's very bothersome because you do think this is a pretty safe area, but the bottom line is there's no safe area," said Valencia resident Judy Caldeira as she pumped gas at the Shell station across the street from where the 44-year-old woman was attacked.
Caldeira, 50, said people need to be cautious about their surroundings.
"When I'm going to my car... I usually try to have my keys ready," she said. "I try to be aware of my surroundings. I'm kind of worried about everything I see."
But there are many other precautions people can take, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Detective Dave Campbell of the Santa Clarita Valley station's sex offenders unit.
"If you're going to walk early in the morning (or) late at night... have a friend with you," Campbell said, offering what he considered the most important tip. "It might be suspects are less likely to attack if there are two people."
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station offers additional safety tips, which include being aware of your surroundings, avoiding dark and isolated areas and avoiding conversation with strangers.
Campbell said that despite the recent activity, the Santa Clarita Valley is still a safe place.
"It's a safe area to live and walk," Campbell said. "Every once in awhile something like this comes up. It's the world we live in."
A string of assaults
Just two days before Sunday's assault, a 44-year-old woman was attacked when walking toward a bus stop near the corner of McBean Parkway and Valencia Boulevard early Friday morning.
A man started following the woman and attempted to talk to her. After the woman tried to distance herself from the suspect, he grabbed her, forced her to the ground and tried to sexually assault her, according to a sheriff's report.
Deputies are still searching for the suspect who fled the scene, described as white man between the ages of 30 and 35 years old, authorities said. He was last seen wearing a yellow T-shirt printed with multi-colored radio station advertisements, according to a sheriff's report.
In the Castaic incident on Aug. 30, a 30-year-old woman was raped after agreeing to give a ride to a man she met outside a liquor store in exchange for a bottle of alcohol, a sheriff's report said.
The man drove her into a secluded road and forced her to drink the alcohol before he assaulted her, the report stated.
Sheriff's officials described that suspect as a male Hispanic or American Indian between 30 and 40 with long, shoulder-length brown or black hair.
Surveillance photos show him wearing a gray sleeveless tank top, dark shorts and a backwards ball cap with a "Rock Star" logo. He is described as a "transient type," but clean," authorities said.
Anyone who spots the suspect is asked to contact Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's station at (661) 255-1121.
Anyone with information related to Sunday's incident can contact Sgt. Brian Hudson at (661) 940-7850.
