Sexual Predator Wearing Virgin Mary Shirt Wanted In LA
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Police sought the public's help Wednesday with identifying a sexual predator who has assaulted at least two women in Echo Park and East Los Angeles.
According to police, the first incident took place shortly before 12:30 p.m. Monday at an apartment complex located in the 800 block of North Mariposa Street.
The suspect entered through the front door of the victim's apartment.
A preliminary investigation revealed the victim left the door unlocked while she walked over to the laundry room.
When she returned, she found the suspect standing behind the door.
The unknown man proceeded to cover the woman's mouth with one of his hands and pushed her against a wall, which caused her to fall to the floor.
The woman began to yell and scream, which subsequently scared the suspect, causing him to flee from the area.
About an hour later, the same suspect entered a unlocked apartment located in the 1600 block of Cortez Street.
The victim's dogs began to bark aggressively when the man entered the residence, which caused the victim to enter the living room.
After engaging in brief conversation, the suspect pinned the woman against the couch and began to touch her.
At one point, the dogs intervened and attempted to bite the suspect's leg, which allowed for the victim to escape.
Video surveillance captured both incidents.
"It shows in the video that he obviously knew what he was doing," said Officer Mike Lopez. "He obviously waited for people to open up the apartment building doors and then made entry into the apartment building. The video shows he then uses his T-shirt to see if any doors are unlocked. He's trying to be a smart guy by not leaving any finger prints on the door knobs."
Detectives described the suspect as an African American man who has black hair, brown eyes and weighs no more than 190 pounds. He is believed to be between the ages of 25 and 30, and stands around 6-feet tall.
The suspect was last seen wearing a green olive colored shirt that has a picture of the Virgin Mary, blue jeans and white shoes.
Police issued a reminder to the public to always lock doors as a precaution.
Anyone with information about this case has been urged to contact Los Angeles Police Department detectives at (213) 484-3487.
