A 26-year-old transient man, who was arrested on allegations of inappropriately touching a woman and later pulling a knife on her friend, was charged with battery Tuesday afternoon in Douglas County District Court.

Lawrence police said the man touched the 18-year-old woman about 6 p.m. Sunday in the 800 block of Massachusetts Street. She did not immediately report the incident to police.

About four hours later, the woman saw the man again in the 1000 block of Vermont Street, said Sgt. Bill Cory, Lawrence police spokesman. The woman’s 19-year-old friend confronted the suspect, who allegedly pulled a knife on him, Cory said.

Police found the suspect, who Cory said was not known by either victim, at the intersection of Ninth and Massachusetts streets and arrested him on suspicion of sexual battery and aggravated assault, a jail report said.

District Attorney Charles Branson charged the man with one count of misdemeanor battery, for illegal physical contact with a female victim, in a rude, insulting or angry manner, court records indicate.

The man is being held in the Douglas County Jail on a $500 bond. His next hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Branson said.