On August 6, police officers investigated a male who used his phone to record up a woman’s skirt while she was shopping at Walmart, according to the Irvine Police Department.
The IPD dispatchers located the suspect via surveillance cameras and helped direct officers to his location as he fled.
Damian Bravo, 23, from Santa Ana, was arrested for invasion of privacy and was booked at the Orange County Jail.
In the surveillance video released by the IPD it appears that Bravo took an upskirt picture of a victim with a baby stroller.
The IPD detectives have determined that other women were recorded by the suspect. They are asking anyone who believes they may be a victim to contact bfelling@cityofirvine.org.
In California, the act of secretly recording up a person’s skirt—commonly referred to as “upskirting”—is considered a criminal invasion of privacy under Penal Code Section 647(j) PC. Here’s a plain-text summary of the penalties Damian Bravo may face:
Criminal Charges and Penalties
- First-time offense:
- Classified as a misdemeanor.
- Punishable by up to 6 months in county jail.
- A fine of up to $1,000 .
- If it’s a second or subsequent offense, or if the victim was a minor:
- The penalty increases to up to 1 year in jail.
- A fine of up to $2,000.
Additional Considerations
- If the suspect shared the images, he could also face charges under California’s revenge porn laws, which carry similar penalties.
- The law requires that the victim was in a place with a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as a store, dressing room, or other semi-private areas.