Valeria Alvarado says she never expected a trip to Walmart to end with a 911 call.
“To this day, I’m still just trying to find a good way to process the whole situation,” Alvarado said.
Police arrested 24-year-old Alvin Saldana for allegedly exposing himself to Alvarado.
The college student says she is now left rattled and angry.
“I’m scared to go by myself anywhere. I just want to cry, just thinking about it. It was a really rough situation, and I hope other really young girls like me don’t have to see that.”
It happened on July 16 at the Walmart near Gulf Freeway and Almeda.
Alvarado says she was parked very close to the entrance, and families were walking by her, but that didn’t stop Saldana from calling her over to his car.
“I turn around and he was asking me something, but I didn’t hear what he was saying. So I asked him to repeat it and he asked me, ‘do you know where the mall is?’ I was confused by the question, and when I looked down I realized that he was masturbating in his car,” Alvarado said.
Alvarado was able to get a good look at his face and even memorized a portion of his license plate.
Saldana was arrested during a traffic stop and charged with indecent exposure.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what he did and how he just felt super comfortable doing that. Am I the first person he did that to? And how many other people are doing this to other people and other women?” Alvarado said.
She says she is hopeful this arrest will help her recover from the trauma and restore her sense of safety.
