UPDATED: RIVERSIDE: Man who attacked woman in Downtown Entertainment District parking garage arrested
UPDATED: April 15, 7 p.m.
RIVERSIDE – Riverside police officials announced the arrest of a man who was wanted for allegedly attacking a woman in the City of Riverside’s Downtown Entertainment District. The suspect punched the woman in the face, causing her to suffer “significant injuries,” after she “rebuffed his sexual advances toward her,” according to police officials.
The victim’s name has not been released for her protection.
Matthew Seys was arrested after he allegedly punched a woman in the face after she rebuffed his sexual advances.
The violent incident happened about 3 a.m., Saturday, March 12.
Officials explained the alleged suspect, who was later identified as Matthew Luis Seys, 22, of Riverside, followed a woman and her friends from the 3600 block of Mission Inn Avenue to the victim’s car in Parking Garage 1, located at on Orange Street.
As the victim was preparing to get into her vehicle, Seys approached the woman and began harassing her.
When Seys allegedly made “sexual advances” towards the victim, which she rebuffed, Seys allegedly attacked the woman, punching her in the face.
“(The victim) sustained a significant injury as a result of being struck,” officials explained in a written social media press release.
Before the victim was attacked, she managed to capture part of the unprovoked incident on video with her cell phone. (See attached video below.)
During a subsequent investigation, Riverside police detectives developed leads and gathered information that helped them identify Seys as the alleged suspect.
Many of the leads and tips officials received came after officials released a short video of the suspect and description of the crime through social media and news outlets, because of the video the victim was able to provide to officers.
On Friday, April 14, Riverside PD’s METRO/SWAT Team located and arrested Seys for felony battery resulting in great bodily injury. He was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.
An online jail records search revealed Seys is being held on $65,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice April 19.
Riverside Police Department video
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Trevor Montgomery runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News and Anza Valley Outlook and also writes for Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg and breaking his back in an off-duty accident.
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 26 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 12 – soon to be 13 – grandchildren.