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Police Say Employee Victim Of Random Assault At South Coast Mall

Santa Barbara Police

Detectives are investigating a shocking attack at a South Coast shopping center, in which they say a man attacked, and tried to sexually assault a store employee. It happened at around 6 Tuesday night, at La Cumbre Plaza in Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara Police investigators say a man who was behaving erratically entered a store in the mall, where the only person inside was a lone female employee. Detectives say the victim sensed the man was behaving abnormally, and tried to retreat. But, they say the man attacked her.

The woman eventually escaped, and went to a neighboring store for help. She was taken to a hospital for treatment of her injuries. Officers arriving at the scene found and arrested a man for the attack. He’s being identified as Marshal Anthony Coates.

The 50 year old man is being held on more than a half dozen charges ranging from kidnapping to assault with intent to commit rape.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.