Ivan Gallardo Lopez

Introduction

Ivan Gallardo Lopez, 38, of Riverside, was arrested in Corona, California, after authorities said he slipped his cellphone beneath a fitting-room door to secretly record a teenage girl as she changed clothes — then ran from the officers who caught him. During the foot pursuit, a stranger driving past pulled over and let two Corona police officers jump into his pickup truck, and the impromptu ride-along — captured on body-camera footage released by the department — ended with Lopez cornered in a parking lot and taken into custody. He was arrested on charges related to child annoyance and unlawful recording, was found to be a registered sex offender, and a magistrate approved a $1 million bail enhancement.

Background Information

Corona officers were called to a business on the 1200 block of Magnolia Avenue after a report that a man had placed his cellphone underneath a fitting-room door while a teenage girl was changing inside, according to the Corona Police Department. Lopez allegedly bolted when officers arrived, setting off a foot chase through the area around the store. KTLA reported that the department identified him as a 38-year-old Riverside resident and said authorities described him as a registered sex offender; the public reporting does not specify the underlying conviction behind that status.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Arrested; allegations unadjudicated. Lopez was arrested on charges related to child annoyance and unlawful recording and was in custody on $1 million bail as of the latest public reporting. No prosecutor’s filing or court date has been publicly reported, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The chase and its unusual ending were captured on body-camera footage the department released on October 30: officers sprinting after the fleeing suspect, flagging down a passing motorist — “Where to?” the driver asks — and riding in his pickup until they closed the distance, exited the truck, cornered Lopez in a parking lot and ordered him to the ground. “You’re the man, dude,” someone can be heard saying afterward, saluting the driver, whom police have not named. The Corona Police Department publicly thanked the Good Samaritan, writing that “sometimes catching a suspect takes more than just running shoes!”

Lopez was arrested on several charges related to child annoyance and unlawful recording, according to KTLA’s report and the department. A magistrate approved a $1 million bail enhancement, and Lopez remained behind bars at the time of the department’s announcement. When police identified him, they disclosed that he was already a registered sex offender — a status California’s Megan’s Law website assigns to people convicted of specified sex crimes; the reporting has not identified the conviction that put him on the registry, and the general registry requirement does not establish the current allegation.

Investigators said they believe the fitting-room incident may not have been isolated: detectives think there could be additional victims, and the department asked anyone who may have encountered Lopez under similar circumstances to come forward, directing tips to Detective Jason Goudy and referencing case #26-072358.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The bodycam footage, released October 30, anchored coverage of the arrest on KTLA the next day and, a week later, on the New York Post, with both outlets highlighting the citizen’s improvised role in the takedown. The Corona Police Department made the motorist’s help the centerpiece of its announcement — “A huge thank you to the community member who stepped up to assist our officers!” — while not naming him. The department’s statement also carried the investigative appeal, urging potential additional victims to come forward. Lopez, meanwhile, was left in custody on the $1 million enhancement, with his registered sex-offender status disclosed publicly for the first time in this case.

Current Status

Lopez remained in custody on $1 million bail as of the latest public reporting — KTLA’s October 31 account and the department’s announcement — and no later custody update has been reported. No court date, arraignment or prosecutor’s filing in the case has been publicly reported; KTLA’s report did not say whether Lopez would face additional charges as the investigation continues. Detectives’ appeal for additional victims — through Detective Jason Goudy, case #26-072358 — remains open. The allegations against him are unproven; he is presumed innocent unless and until convicted.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The arrest compounds an existing registry status with new charges centering a child: Lopez went from a registered sex offender whose underlying conviction was never publicly identified to a named suspect in a fitting-room recording case, held on a $1 million enhancement with detectives openly asking whether other victims exist. For the Corona Police Department, the case became both a public-relations moment — a stranger lending his truck to catch a fleeing suspect — and an investigative tool: the same announcement that celebrated the Good Samaritan carried the appeal for additional victims to come forward. For the teenager at the center of the report, the department has not described what, if anything, was found on the phone.

Sources

• New York Post, “SoCal cops hitch ride to catch accused dressing-room creep,” November 6, 2026. source
• KTLA, “Riverside County man arrested for allegedly placing cell phone in teen girl’s fitting room,” October 31, 2026. source
• Hoodline, “Corona Police Nab Registered Sex Offender Accused of Filming Teen in Fitting Room,” November 1, 2026. source
• New York Post on X, November 6, 2026. source