LEAGUE CITY, Texas – A woman confronted a man who is charged for recording her in the bathroom stall at a Target in League City Monday.
The woman and a shopper caught the confrontation on video. League City police said the suspect has been charged with invasive visual recording.
What happened?
A woman was shopping at Target on the Gulf Freeway in League City Monday around 10 a.m.
The woman told police she was using the restroom when she noticed something odd. She told police she saw herself on a phone screen that was being held underneath the stall. She said she quickly left the bathroom in a panic.
"There was a woman coming out of the bathroom with total terror on her face," Ronda, a shopper who preferred not to give her last name, said.
Ronda knew something was not right. She went to the woman and comforted her while a manager watched for the person to come out of the bathroom.
"We were talking, and I realized, wait, he just walked out of the women's restroom over to the men's," Ronda said.
The woman reported to police that they waited there for a couple of minutes, until the man walked out.
League City police charged 21-year-old Jacob Alexander Herrera with invasive visual recording. Herrera is out on bond.
Caught on video
The woman told police she saw the man exit the men's restroom and immediately recorded as she confronted him.
WATCH: Target invasive recording confrontation
"You were recording me under the bathroom. You're not going anywhere," the woman said to the man in the video.
The woman and Ronda posted videos of the confrontation on social media which were shared thousands of times.
In the video, the man can be heard telling the manager that he was on his phone and was going inside to wash his hands. Court documents said Herrera told police that he accidentally walked into the women's restroom and admitted to police that he knew he was in the women's restroom but "failed to leave immediately," according to court documents. In the video, the man can be seen attempting to get to the exit multiple times. The woman can be seen pushing the suspect back and refusing to let him leave while the police came.
Target's response
Target's media team issued this statement to KPRC:
"At Target, we have no tolerance for this behavior in our stores. Our team immediately called the League City Police Department when the guest reported the incident to us, and we’ve provided them with video and photos of the suspect to assist in their investigation."
Ronda said it shouldn't have been the woman's task to restrain the suspect.
"[The victim] was the one who kind of restrained him all the way," Ronda said.
What's next
Herrera has been charged with invasive visual recording. Herrera denies recording the situation. League City police said they had taken his cellphone to be analyzed. Court records show Herrera has been charged but is no longer behind bars.
Ronda said this is a good reminder to all: "Be hyper-aware especially going into a public restroom."
Ronda said it is sad that people need to be aware of these kinds of situations.