Police Suspect ‘Blackout Rapist’ in 2 More Attacks

Two attempted burglaries last weekend in Sherman Oaks may have been the work of the “Blackout Rapist,” an intruder suspected of sexually assaulting at least five San Fernando Valley women since May, Los Angeles police said Wednesday.

In the two most recent break-ins, which occurred late Sunday and early Monday, the intruder gained access to a fuse box and cut electrical power to the apartments before entering through unlocked windows, Detective George Salazar said.

The same technique was used in five previous burglaries in North Hollywood and Studio City, during which an intruder raped three women and attempted to rape two others, police said.

In the Sunday and Monday incidents, the man fled when the women woke up and began screaming, Salazar said.

Victims’ Screams Pay Off

“In both cases, the victim was able to scream and yell when he placed his hand over their mouths,” he said. “He did not rape either of them.

“We’re obviously connecting it to the other cases,” he said.

The man does not wear a mask or disguise, police said, but victims have not been able to provide a detailed description because the attacks have occurred in the dark.

One of the women who was assaulted this week said she was awakened about 2 a.m. when she felt the man place his hands around her throat.

“My first thought was, ‘This is it. It’s all over.’ Then I thought, ‘No, it’s not,’ and began screaming,” said the 38-year-old woman.

The man, who entered the apartment through a kitchen window, took about three steps backward and then ran out a kitchen door, the woman said.

Too Dark to See Attacker

“It was all black. Pitch black,” she said. “I wish I could have seen him, but I couldn’t.”

Berman said the rapist “has been fairly passive” in that he has not beaten the women or used a weapon.

“But the activities of some serial rapists escalate,” he said. “Some rapists start out passive and gradually become more violent. Others have to beat their victims to become sexually aroused.”

The blackout rapist usually attacks women who live alone in ground-floor apartments, Berman said. He picks victims who do not have dogs that might bark and awaken neighbors.

Berman said police are advising women who live alone to have their landlords provide locks for windows and fuse boxes.

The woman attacked in Sherman Oaks said her landlord since has provided locks for the outside fuse box and her windows.

She also purchased a .38-caliber handgun, she said, and plans to take a firearms training course.

“I hope he comes back, because I’ll be ready,” she said. “I’ll stop him. Believe me, I will.”