Police are asking the public to help them identify a man they say assaulted a 6-year-old girl inside a restroom at a Clearwater mall.
The incident happened at the Westfield Countryside Mall on Friday inside the Macy’s women’s restroom, police said.
According to police, the girl was inside the restroom when the man forced open the door to the stall.
The suspect grabbed the girl and pushed her to the floor, according to a police report. The girl screamed, and the man tried to cover her mouth with his hand before letting her go and leaving the restroom.
"Her father lets her go into the restroom, the women's restroom by herself, and while she's in one of the stalls, he comes into the restroom and then breaks into the stall, puts his hand over her mouth, throws her to the ground," Clearwater Police spokesman Rob Shaw said.
The man sought by police is described as being between 19 and 25 years old. He is between 5-feet-3 and 5-feet-6 and weighs about 140 pounds. He has short dark hair and was last seen wearing a blue plaid shirt and blue jeans.
The girl was not physically injured, the father told police.
Additionally, police say that two women were seen interacting with the man in the mall. They are hoping to identify the women and talk to them as part of the investigation.
"That's really disturbing to hear. ... There are definitely a lot of children here. That's really unfortunate and honestly, eye opening," mall shopper Tony Mannino said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Clearwater police at 727-562-4242 or Crime Stoppers of Pinellas County at 1-800-873-TIPS.