Man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in an elevator in the East Bay
File of an elevator. A woman was sexually assaulted in a downtown elevator on July 4, 2026, Berkeley police said.
BERKELEY, Calif. - A 40-year-old man was arraigned on charges of attempted rape on Thursday, accused of attacking a woman in an elevator, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office said.
What we know:
Investigators said the assault happened at about 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 4th in an apartment building in downtown Berkeley.
Victim followed, police say
The suspect, identified as Sean Christopher Johnson, followed the victim into her apartment building and into an elevator, where he cornered her, police said.
"He proceeded to expose himself and grope the woman," according to police.
Dig deeper:
In a probable cause declaration shared with KTVU by the Alameda County DA's office, investigators said that the woman got off the elevator on the floor of her apartment unit, as she tried to get away from the suspect.
But he followed her.
"The victim got back inside of the elevator out of fear that Johnson would follow her inside of her apartment and rape her," the probable cause declaration stated. "When the victim attempted to have the elevator go back to the lobby, Johnson kept pressing additional floor buttons, preventing the victim from getting to the lobby to escape."
Investigators said he continued to grope and grab the woman.
"Through the assault, the victim was terrified and felt that Johnson was going to try to rape her," the police statement noted.
The woman finally managed to escape when the elevator stopped at a floor where another person was present, and she called for help.
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Police search
Police arrived, and the suspect fled.
Officers searched the area and later located him in the garage of a neighboring apartment building.
Johnson was arrested and booked into the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. He has no known address, police said.
Charges filed
In addition to attempted rape, Johnson faces charges including sexual battery, false imprisonment, and burglary.
The suspect has prior felony burglary convictions that date back to 2007, 2014, and 2020, according to Alameda County court records.
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