Man arrested in Berkeley sexual assault despite trying to alter his appearance

BERKELEY — A man who tried to alter his appearance after an alleged attack has been arrested in a Valentine’s Day sexual assault of a UC Berkeley student in the laundry area of the apartment building where he lived, authorities said Tuesday.

The suspect, Ahmad Lutfi, 34, was arrested on suspicion of assault with intent to commit rape, sexual battery and false imprisonment. He was being held at the Berkeley jail in lieu of $160,000 bail and was scheduled to be arraigned in court Wednesday.

Police said that about 1 p.m. Feb. 14, officers responded to an apartment building on the 2300 block of Le Conte Avenue, across from the UC campus, for a report of a woman who had been sexually assaulted in a communal laundry room in the building.

Authorities said Lutfi did not know the woman, who is in her 20s and is a UC Berkeley student. They did not specify whether the woman lived in the building.

Police said Lufti allegedly attempted to rape the woman, who was able to fight him off before he fled.

Officers searched through the apartment building and located Lutfi outside of his apartment. Officer Byron White said he had altered his appearance after the alleged attack by changing his clothing and shaving off his beard.  In a nearby communal restroom, officers also found a shaver with hair clippings on the ground, White said.

The victim was able to identify Lutfi as her attacker, authorities said.

Police also collected additional evidence during the service of a search warrant at his apartment.