The victim was working as a prostitute when a male pulled up in a full size maroon pick-up. The victim entered the vehicle and the suspect produced a handgun. Between January 9 th and 25 th of , there were three additional, and separate, sexual assaults with similar modus operandi. The suspect in these cases would select his victims who were working as prostitutes on West Sunset Boulevard. The suspect posed as a customer and the victims would get into his vehicle.
Once the victims were in the vehicle, the suspect would use several methods to gain control of his victims. The suspect was described as a male, Asian, Caucasian or Hispanic, driving a maroon, black or dark blue full-size pick-up truck. In one of the assaults, the suspect had been driving a white van. Detectives discovered two similar assaults that occurred in other jurisdictions. The alerts were distributed throughout the area, by Hollywood Area Vice officers, to the prostitutes working on Sunset Boulevard.
Robbery-Homicide Division detectives, working alongside Hollywood Area officers formulated strategies to apprehend the suspect. On January 31, and February 1, , Hollywood Area Vice officers conducted decoy operations on Sunset Boulevard in an effort to apprehend the suspect. Hollywood Area Patrol was also involved in the enforcement activity.
On Friday, February 1, at P. The sergeant pulled up along side the vehicle and observed the driver to match a composite drawing of the rape suspect.
The sergeant conducted a traffic stop and requested an additional unit. The sergeant obtained a consent search of the vehicle and located some incriminating evidence in the vehicle.
