Hunt Is On For Sexual Assault Suspect In Montebello
MONTEBELLO (CBS) — Police in Montebello are on the hunt for a sexual assault suspect they say attacked a young woman Tuesday in broad daylight.
The attack occurred at an apartment complex in the 800 block of South Greenwood Avenue.
KCAL9's Rachel Kim canvassed the neighborhood and found residents shocked that a sexual assault took place in their area, let alone in the morning.
The woman was assaulted around 8:30 as she came from walking her son to school.
Neighbor Maria Paulino said, "Whoa. It's scary."
Several women told Kim they were unaware of the crime.
Maria Bernal, also a resident said, "I feel uncomfortable now."
Kim also talked to the victim. She didn't want to be identified and referred Kim to the police for more information.
Investigators told Kim that the man grabbed her from behind and dragged her into a carport.
The suspect told the victim he had a gun and threatened to shoot her if she did not cooperate.
The woman told police she put up a fight as the man began to sexually assault her.
Lt. Michael Bergman of the Montebello Police Department said, "At some point, she received a telephone call, which startled the suspect. They were able to see each other face-to-face and that caused the suspect to become startled and he fled at that time."
The victim described her attacker as a Hispanic male, between 17-20. She said he was 5 feet 8 inches tall and about 140 pounds.
She also said the suspect had piercings on his upper lip. Lt. Bergman said "they are commonly referred to as snake bite piercings."
Police are not sure if the suspect is a nearby resident, but they are hoping with the description someone will recognize him and call authorities.
