Charges: Mom stopped sexual assault of teen in West Seattle The defendant did not know the alleged victims

Photo: Vstock LLC/Getty Images/Tetra Images RF When a man "dry-humped" and assaulted a 14-year-old girl walking...

When a man "dry-humped" and further assaulted a 14-year-old girl walking down the street in West Seattle last month, the girl's mother was there to stop him.

Now a 38-year-old man has been charged with child molestation and assault for the spontaneous attack.

The incident occurred about 3:45 p.m. April 20, when the girl and her 38-year-old mother were walking from home to a bus stop, Seattle police reports say. They were walking on Southwest Holding Street near 24th Avenue Southwest when they saw a man walking toward them, acting strangely, documents indicate.

The mother told police she recognized the man as someone who lived in the area but didn't know him. She thought he was "either high or having a mental episode," she told authorities.

Though the pair walked across the street to avoid him, he reportedly followed them. The daughter told police she walked ahead of her mom to distance herself from the man, police reports say.

The mother tried to ask the man whether he was OK, but he ran past her to where her daughter was walking and "bear hugged" her from behind, according to court documents.

He allegedly picked the girl up, then dry-humped her twice, thrusting his crotch into her bottom, Seattle police reported. He then picked her up again and threw her into a fence, which caused the girl to fall to the ground.

The mother swooped in and grabbed the man by the hair to pull him away from her daughter, charging documents say. The man flailed his arms and hit the mother in the face, but she did not think he purposely assaulted her.

The man ran away and the mother called 911. She was able to flag down officers shortly thereafter and point the man out to police.

He reportedly tried to run from police before being arrested.

Prosecutors charged the man with third-degree child molestation, fourth-degree assault for throwing the girl, and -- despite the mother's belief he did not mean to hit her -- another fourth-degree assault charge for striking her.