Police Seek ‘Bold’ Serial Rapist Linked to 11 Attacks

Police said Monday they are seeking a serial rapist described as “bolder than most” whose two attacks Sunday have been linked to a series of 11 sexual assaults in areas of East San Diego, Old Town and Pacific Beach since December.

“We’re calling this a ‘bolder-than-most’ series,’ ” Police Sgt. Anne O’Dell said, “because the suspect apparently isn’t afraid to take chances; for instance, going into a house where a woman is not alone.”

The two most recent attacks occurred Sunday in Pacific Beach within a block of each other. The first incident took place at 5:20 a.m. in the 3300 block of Del Rey Street. Police said a man armed with a large knife entered an apartment through an unlocked front door. He then went to the victim’s bedroom and began caressing her as she slept, police said.

“Her husband was asleep next to her buried under the covers,” O’Dell said.

The woman woke up and began screaming. The man ran out of the room as the husband threw an electric fan at him but missed, O’Dell said.

Brandished Knife

At 11 p.m. Sunday, just a block away in the 3400 block of Del Rey Street, a man entered another residence brandishing a knife, according to Detective Cheryl Meyers, who spoke at a Monday news conference where police described the series of rapes.

Meyers said the victim was asleep in her bed with a male companion when the rapist threatened the victim with a knife and raped her, Meyers said.

San Diego police spokesman Bill Robinson said Monday that police think the same man also has committed five other rapes, two attempted rapes and two other sexual assaults.

Police said four attacks have occurred in Pacific Beach, including a Sept. 21 incident that took place within a block of Sunday’s attacks. Additionally, five attacks have been reported in East San Diego and two near San Diego Avenue in Old Town, police said.

Detectives said overlapping descriptions from victims and the similar methods of operation in the different crimes led them to believe the suspect is a serial rapist.

May Wear Disguises

Police said victims have described the rapist as a black man, 5-foot-10 to 6 feet tall, 25 to 33 years old and 165 to 180 pounds, with a short, black Afro and brown eyes. He may also wear disguises that include a goatee and mustache, and has worn a dark jacket and pants during the attacks. The rapist has been armed with a knife said to be 6 to 10 inches long.

Meyers said all the attacks have occurred between 11:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. She said the victims have been white women in their 20s to early 30s.

“He usually gains entrance to an apartment-type residence or motel through an unlocked door or window,” Meyers said. “He threatens a sleeping victim and carries a large knife. His method of operation is unique. We feel it’s the same man. He might be casing homes in those areas. If he is, he’s probably doing it in the daytime to see who comes and goes.”

Police advise people to lock their doors and windows at night. Meyers said anyone with information regarding the serial rapist should contact Crime-Stoppers at 235-TIPS. If information leads to the arrest of the suspect, there is a possible reward of $1,000.

Meyers said the latest attacks are unrelated to a 1986 series in which the suspect, not yet found and described as an unkempt and unshaven white male in his early 20s, 5-foot-9 to 6 feet tall, attacked women in the La Jolla and Pacific Beach areas.