Police Say They Have Identified Groper

Officials from the Cambridge Police Department (CPD) told the City Council last night that they have questioned a suspect they believe is the bicycle rider responsible for a series of gropings around the Harvard campus in February, but do not have enough evidence to make an arrest.

Police interrogated a man on Feb. 12 who matched the description given by the four victims, but none of the victims could provide a positive identification of the suspect, according to a police report submitted to the council.

But officials noted that no additional assaults have been reported since the man was questioned.

“At this time we consider this male as the suspect responsible for the latest ‘gropings.’ Detectives are positive he is the assailant,” CPD Commissioner Ronnie Watson wrote in the report.

The police department’s report came in response to an order from the City Council in February for an update on measures being taken to stem a string of indecent assaults on and around the Harvard campus.

Between last December and February, eight females reported being groped.

“This has been an extremely disturbing time for the city, not just Harvard,” Councillor Anthony D. Galluccio said last night.

In January, a Harvard custodian who was arrested and charged with two assaults told police he had groped about 150 women in recent months—suggesting that many of the assaults were not reported.

Superintendent Michael D. Giacoppo said last night that Geremias Cruz Ramos, referred to in the police report as an illegal alien from Colombia, will be prosecuted and may face deportation.

In the days following Ramos’ arrest, four students reported being groped by a man on a bicycle. Giacoppo said the incidents were likely copycat crimes.

According to Giacoppo, the victims were unable to provide detailed facial descriptions of the assailant on the bicycle, but the other physical characteristics they mentioned to police matched—suggesting that one person was responsible for the incidents.

On Feb. 12, CPD and Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) officers spotted a man whose clothing, build and type of bicycle all matched the descriptions provided, the report said.

“The suspect denied any involvement in any ‘gropings,’” Watson wrote.

Police linked the suspect to Harvard Square at the time of the reported incidents, and Watson wrote that the composite sketch was a “quality match” to the suspect.

But authorities could not arrest the suspect because none of the victims could make a positive identification.

According to Giacoppo, most of the victims had not seen their assailant face-to-face and were “reluctant” to make a positive identification.

He said police may be able to make an arrest if more evidence surfaces.

City Manager Robert W. Healy said that with the arrest of Ramos and the questioning of the second suspect, police believed there would not be further incidents.

Galluccio praised the joint work of CPD and HUPD.

“I think it’s good for us and the residents of the city to know we have cooperative expertise to solve these issues,” he said.

Councillor Marjorie C. Decker said she had noticed a “visible increase” in police patrols of the Harvard Square area since the crime wave. She also praised the increased use of escort services on the campus.

Councillor Brian P. Murphy ’86-’87 also asked the city to look into safety issues on Cambridge Common. He proposed organizing a public walk through the park for police, city officials and residents to discuss specific concerns, and Healy indicated support for the idea.

—Staff writer Michael M. Grynbaum can be reached at grynbaum@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Jessica R. Rubin-Wills can be reached at rubinwil@fas.harvard.edu.