Police arrest man wanted for sexually assaulting child in OC bathroom

OCEAN CITY, Md. – A joint investigation between Maryland and Virginia law enforcement agencies led to the arrest of a man wanted in connection to a reported assault of a child in an Ocean City bathroom last week.

On July 31st, Ocean City Police officers responded to a hotel near 117th Street and Coastal Highway for a report of a sexual offense that took place earlier that afternoon. Officers met with a mother, who reported that her 6-year-old son was sexually assaulted by an unknown adult man in a publicly accessible bathroom at the hotel. The mother told police that she could identify the man, and several concerned citizens reportedly chased the suspect until they lost sight of him near an alleyway on 16th Street.

Police met with the child, who was able to describe what happened during the assault and provide a detailed description of the suspect. Police then posted on social media asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect, caught on surveillance footage.

On August 2nd, detectives say they received a tip from a reliable source who believed the suspect in this case was 33-year-old Antonio Garcia. Additional evidence was gathered to identify him as the suspect, and a warrant was obtained for third and fourth degree sex offense, second degree assault, false imprisonment, and indecent exposure.

Detectives had reason to believe that Garcia fled the area, and requested a GPS ping on Garcia’s phone, which traced him to Virginia. It was believed Garcia was trying to evade law enforcement, and through a coordinated effort between multiple Maryland law enforcement agencies and Virginia State Police, Garcia was found and arrested in Villa Heights, Virginia.

Garcia is currently awaiting extradition back to Maryland.