Perv-Alert: Help ID This Man

Austin Police need your help to identify a man who attempted to molest a 4-year-old girl.

The incident took place at the Half Price Books on South Lamar (next to Chotchkies) at roughly 8:30pm last night last Tuesday. A father, taking his child to the bookstore, noticed a suspicious-looking man following the two as they went about their browsing. At one point, while the father was retrieving something from the bookshelf, "the other gentleman lifted [the child's] dress up and felt her behind," said Austin Police Sergeant Brian Loyd. The father chased the man out of the store, and managed to get into some kind of scuffle in the parking lot, but the man ultimately ran away.

KXAN reports that the suspect was dressed in "khaki knee-length shorts, black shirt, [and] black shoes." He was also carrying the pink backpack shown on the left, which was evidently left behind. He's described as being a white male, 20 years old, 150 pounds, "pointy nosed," bearded, with black hair in a ponytail.

"An individual that does something like this, this is a baby step for him," said Loyd. "This is the beginning stages of pedophilia."

Anyone with tips would do well to call the Child Abuse hotline at 512-974-6880.

Two more photos after the jump.

Photos from Half Price Books cameras.