Long Beach : Suspect Sought in Rapes

Police say the same man may have been responsible for two rapes and one attempted rape last month in North Long Beach.

Detective Olivia Burbank of the Police Department’s sex crimes unit said a dozen officers are now searching for a suspect and that police are advising women in North Long Beach to keep their doors and windows locked.

In all three attacks, the suspect entered homes that were unlocked while the victims were asleep, Burbank said. In one of the rapes, a gun was used, while in the second, the woman did not see what weapon was held to her head, Burbank said. In the attempted rape, a woman was struck with an unknown weapon and the assailant escaped after a struggle.

The two rapes occurred on Aug. 3 and 9 in the 7100 block of Lime Avenue, and the attempted rape took place Aug. 24, about a block away, in the 7000 block of Olive Avenue.

“He (the assailant) has confined himself to a small area,” Burbank said, adding that the suspect is described as a tall and slender black man who conceals his face.

“He talks to victims before, during and after like he knows them,” Burbank said. “It appears he’s been prowling around the property beforehand.”