Man seen on camera exposing himself in front of young girls at South LA laundromat

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department launched an investigation after a man allegedly exposed himself to two little girls at a laundromat in South Los Angeles.

The incident was captured on surveillance cameras at Bonita Coin Laundry on South Normandie Avenue on Monday afternoon.

Sheriff's deputies said they were informed about the indecent exposure incident and the surveillance video and then followed up with the family of the little girls who then filed a police report.

One of the laundromat's employees, who did not want to be identified, said the laundromat is a family-friendly business and has a designated kids area to help parents. Several laundromat customers told FOX 11 that it is known to be family oriented.

"This is a family laundry place and we got a lot of people coming in here, a lot of good people, and a lot of kids coming in here. We have an area for the kids, so the parents can actually do their laundry and the kids can play and they don't have to worry about them, but you can't trust anybody anymore," said the employee.

The many surveillance cameras show the man get out of a black SUV and go into the laundromat. He goes to the back corner of the laundromat, near the kids section and video shows him touching himself. At one point, the video shows the man waving two little girls over, and at times, he appeared to be on the phone. The video shows the man take it further when he stands up next to a washing machine, and pulls out his genitals in front of the young girls and pleasures himself. In the video, the man then walks away and touches one of the little girl's heads. The outdoor surveillance cameras show him walk out of the building, looking around, appearing to check if anyone saw him.

"It's unbelievable. Honestly it's like this is supposed to be a place where you can come and do your laundry and just be calm and not worry about something like this happening. We definitely want him caught. There are concerned parents. I'm worried because I take care of my kids. That's why people come here [to Bonita Coin Laundry] because they know that the kids have their area, and they don't have to worry much about them because they can play with coloring books and they don't have to be running around, and they have the snack bar where they can buy chips for them," said the employee.

The employee said the little girls' mom was in the front area doing laundry and was checking on the girls periodically while doing laundry too. However, the man was appearing to hide in the corner away from the surveillance cameras.

A month after FOX 11 reported on the story, LASD released an "attempt to identify" note to alert the public to be on the lookout for the suspect. In the note, shared on the department's social media pages, the suspect is described as a Asian or Hispanic man in his 40s or 50s with gray hair. He is also listed between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-9. 

Anyone who recognizes the man in the video can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Special Victims Bureau at 562-946-8200 or by email at specialvictimsbureau@lasd.org.