Full Notification

Just a couple hours ago, detectives finished an in depth interview of the 18-year-old victim of the sexual assault on July 16th in the Fashion District.

"The good news is, the assault was not as aggravated as was first described to officers," said Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of the Central Detective Division. "But we still want the public to be looking for these two men."

Police released sketches of a long haired man with glasses, 6 feet tall with a medium build, and an accomplice with a prominent tattoo on his right cheek. Both men are Hispanic.

"We never specified the full nature of the assault, but we now believe that this was a sexual battery," Lt. Vernon explained. "There was no movement or dragging of the victim and she was never thrown down or disrobed."

Nevertheless, the men's actions were criminal and serious. Sexual battery involves the unlawful and unwanted touching of a person's private areas, but without any skin-to-skin contact.

"We've received many tips since releasing the sketches, and we want to encourage more, if someone knows either man," Lt Vernon added. "We also wanted the public to know, though, the attack was not as brazen or violent as we once thought."

See prior release from August 2, 2011.

Tipsters can call Det. Joshua Riggs at (213) 972-1235, or Crimestoppers at 800 222-TIPS.