Passers-by Hurl Rape Suspect Into Bonfire

Beachgoers rescued a woman being raped by three transients on Venice Beach early Friday and they hurled one of her alleged assailants into a bonfire, police said.

The injured suspect, 27-year-old Randall Thueson, suffered a black eye and second-degree burns and was taken to County-USC Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition.

Thueson, who was captured by police on the beach near Navy Avenue and Ocean Front Walk, was booked on suspicion of rape, but the other suspects eluded capture, police said. The three rescuers also left the scene before police arrived.

The victim, identified as a 23-year-old Santa Monica resident, escaped during the melee and was found a few blocks away, Detective Michael Gannon said. Though dazed and shaken, she refused medical treatment.

The woman had apparently agreed to meet one of the suspects on the beach for a cigarette just after midnight, Gannon said. However, the three transients forced her into a makeshift tent made of a blanket strung between two trees and took turns raping her, Gannon said.

The woman’s cries for help caught the attention of the passers-by, who threw Thueson into a nearby bonfire when he came out of the tent, Gannon said. When Thueson tried to escape they kicked him back into the fire, according to the detective.

“You don’t see this kind of thing too often: People taking justice into their own hands,” he said.

Police are trying to locate the rescuers as potential witnesses.

“Who knows why they ran?” he said. “At this point, we just want to know more about the rape. They may have decided that what they did was wrong, and they didn’t want to take any chances that charges would be brought against them--if any. Or maybe they just didn’t want to get involved--that’s not uncommon.”