LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida man was arrested on Thursday after a security camera at a Chick-fil-A restaurant captured him grabbing a 16 year-old girl's buttocks.
Awny Abdel Malek Basta, 57, is accused of intentionally and repeatedly touching the young girl at a Chick-fil-A in Lakeland.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the victim was seated at a table doing schoolwork when Basta sat down directly behind her.
The teen told detectives she kept feeling something touch the upper part of her buttocks. It was only when she turned around that she discovered it was Basta's hand.
The surveillance camera, released by the sheriff's office, shows Basta reaching behind him and touching the girl. The victim is also seen confronting Basta as he appears to defend himself before fleeing from the restaurant.
At 2:55 p.m., Polk County deputies responded to the fast-food chain, but Basta had already left. According to officials, restaurant staff followed Basta, who had boarded a city bus. After flagging the bus down, Basta was asked to get off. Staff then gave his whereabouts to deputies, who detained him near a local hotel.
Basta was taken to the Polk County Jail on a charge of lewd and lascivious touch.
“Awny Basta is a pervert, and a sex offender with an extensive criminal history," Sheriff Grady Judd said. "Because of his history, our detectives believe it’s possible that there are additional victims out there. If anyone thinks they may have been a victim of this man, please contact the Special Victims Unit of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200. We want to make sure he’s held accountable for everything he has done.”
Basta has a lengthy criminal history related to sexual battery, dating back to 2006. In 2015, he allegedly groped a woman at a Panera Bread restaurant in Lakeland and another woman in 2023 at a Starbucks in Lakeland.
