Police arrested a Los Angeles man yesterday for allegedly exposing and pleasuring himself in front of a female member of a local motel's cleaning staff.

Officers took Rafael Marrero, 25, into custody on the morning of Aug. 1, after receiving a 911 call from the manager of the Mountain View Inn -- a Best Western-affiliate, located at 2300 W. El Camino Real, according to Mountain View Police Department spokeswoman Liz Wylie.

The victim was cleaning one of the motel's rooms shortly before the 8:55 a.m. emergency call, when a man walked into the room, exposed himself and proceeded with the lewd act, Wylie said. The 52-year-old Palo Alto woman picked up the room phone to call for help and the man walked out.

After informing the Best Western manager of what happened, the woman followed the man from a distance while her manager called emergency dispatchers, Wylie said. The woman saw the man get on a bus headed west on El Camino Real.

Officers tracked down a man matching the victim's description, who was still on the bus, Wylie said. The man was carrying a Best Western comment card and his fly was down. The victim positively identified Marrero and asked for prosecution.

Marrero was arrested for indecent exposure, Wylie said.

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