Hours after asking for help finding him on Friday afternoon, police arrested a man accused of twice following girls off the bus in Long Beach and touching them inappropriately.

Police said the man sexually battered the first girl around 10:15 a.m. Thursday near Carson Street and Atlantic Avenue. She was on a bus when the man approached her, and when she left the bus, he “proceeded to sexually batter” her after a brief exchange, police said in a news release.

About 40 minutes later, another girl was on a bus near Artesia Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue when the same man approached her, police said. When she also got off the bus, “the suspect followed her” and “proceeded to sexually batter” her, police said.

Support facts not fear

News happens fast. In the midst of crime, disasters and other breaking news, the Long Beach Post has reporters and photographers who run to the scene to bring you reliable information. If you value this vital community resource, support it with a tax-deductible donation.

Police identified the suspect as George Marquez, a 21-year-old homeless man. Officers booked him into Long Beach Jail on suspicion of attempted rape, penetration with a foreign object and two warrants for terrorizing causing fear and battery.

Police said his was set at $242,000.

Editor’s note: This story was updated with information about Marquez being arrested.

Jeremiah Dobruck is executive editor of the Long Beach Post where he oversees all day-to-day newsroom operations. In his time working as a journalist in Long Beach, he’s won numerous awards for his investigative reporting and editing. Before coming to the Post in 2018, he wrote for publications including the Press-Telegram, Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times. Reach him at [email protected] or @jeremiahdobruck on Twitter.