Joel Hernandez: Man in clown mask sexually assaults woman and robs another in horror crime spree

Hernandez was arrested and charged with robbery and sexual battery, with bail set at $200,000

PUBLISHED OCT 28, 2022

Joel Hernandez, 22, is accused of assaulting two women while wearing a clown mask (Victorville Police Department & San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office)

VICTORVILLE, CALIFORNIA: A 22-year-old California man is accused of robbing and sexually assaulting at least two different women while dressed as a clown, police said. Joel Hernandez was arrested by Victorville police Tuesday, Oct 25, after he allegedly robbed a 54-year-old woman and assaulted a 50-year-old woman. Investigators believe there may be other victims. The first incident reportedly occurred shortly after 5. pm at a Credit Union ATM in Victorville, California.

The 54-year-old victim dialed 911 at Arrowhead Credit Union after being robbed by a Hispanic adult wearing a white clown mask and a red T-shirt. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and Victorville Police Department, when police responded to the 911 call, they saw a male Hispanic matching the suspect's description walking near the incident and detained him. He was later identified by police as the suspect. In Hernandez's backpack, police found evidence of the robbery, including $500 in cash that had been stolen from the victim.

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As the investigation continued, officials also linked Hernandez to another incident that occurred just moments before the robbery at ATM, according to the New York Post. The 50-year-old victim called 911 to report that a male Hispanic wearing a white clown mask and a red sweatshirt had sexually assaulted and groped her in the parking lot of a convenience store. Hernandez was then formally identified as the perpetrator by the second victim. The 22-year-old suspect was booked into the High Desert Detention Center on charges of robbery and sexual assault, where he is being held on $200,000 bail.

According to Kiro7, officials with the Victorville Police Department and the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department released Hernandez's mugshot and warned that the Pennywise attacker may have injured other victims. Anyone with information about either incident or Hernandez is urged to contact the Victorville Police Department at (760) 241-2911 or Sheriff's Dispatch at (760) 956-5001. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-78CRIME (27463) or online at www.wetip.com.

According to Statista, 37,899 armed robberies were committed in the US in 2021. A knife or other cutting tool was used in 9,702 robberies that year, while street robberies are much more common. In 2020, the District of Columbia had the highest robbery rate and Idaho had the lowest. That same year, there were 73.9 robberies per 100,000 residents in the United States.