Man charged with sexually assaulting woman at Sarasota mall

A 22-year-old man was arrested after he sexually assaulted a woman at the Westfield Siesta Key mall Wednesday morning, according to Sarasota police.

Jamal Abrams, 22, of Sarasota, was charged with sexual battery after Sarasota police were called to an incident at the mall around 10 a.m. Wednesday.

According to police, the victim first reported the incident to mall security.

The victim told police she was sitting in a hallway near the mall’s family restroom charging her iPad when Abrams “unexpectedly” sat down next to her.

Police say Abrams and the victim know each other and do not believe it was a random incident.

She said he then grabbed her neck and forced her to kiss him before she pushed him away and told him to stop, according to police.

She told police Abrams grabbed her backpack and iPad and went into the family restroom, where he tried to get her to retrieve them. She did not go inside, but rather sat down on the ground.

Abrams, she said, then dragged her into the family restroom and sexually assaulted her, according to police.

According to the probable cause affidavit, detectives looked at video footage from the mall, which they noted confirmed information provided to them.

Abrams was arrested and taken to the Sarasota County jail without incident, police said.

“I’m happy the victim was able to get away and notify security,” said Captain Johnathan Todd, commander of the Sarasota Police Department Criminal Investigations Division. “The quicker we know about a case, the quicker we can begin our investigation and solve it.”

This story was originally published September 20, 2018 at 9:15 AM with the headline "Man charged with sexually assaulting woman at Sarasota mall."