Local News in Brief : 4 Plead Innocent in Rape
Four Gardena men pleaded not guilty Wednesday in South Bay Municipal Court to charges that they raped a 23-year-old Malibu woman Sunday night in a parking lot near the Manhattan Beach Pier.
Song Dok Suh, 24, Sonny Chul Kaldenberg, 25, Jangkye Kye Choi, 29, and Song Chul Kim, 24, face charges of oral copulation and rape.
Manhattan Beach Police Sgt. Vince Leone gave this account:
The woman was walking in a parking lot north of the pier about 10:30 p.m. when she was approached by two men who offered her a ride in their car. When she declined, they said they had a gun and forced her into the sedan, where she was sexually attacked by the men and their two companions. The woman escaped after she became sick and the men opened a car door to give her air.
The woman flagged down a police officer. Using her description, police in neighboring Redondo Beach arrested the four suspects, Leone said.
The four men were being held on bail, ranging from $3,000 to $30,000, pending a preliminary hearing Aug. 10.
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