Man Held in Abductions, Rapes of Teen-Age Girls
Los Angeles police have arrested a suspect in a series of kidnapings and sexual assaults that involved teen-age girls in the Mid-City district, authorities said Friday.
Police said Danny Level Brown, 26, was arrested late Thursday after officers matched the description of his vehicle with one provided by a 15-year-old girl who said she managed to escape unharmed after being abducted earlier in the week.
Brown was booked for investigation of kidnap and sexual assault, as well as auto theft and narcotics violations. He was being held without bail, Police Lt. Rich Molony said.
Investigators said evidence linked the suspect to three kidnapings and two sexual assaults in the last month near Crenshaw and Washington boulevards. All three incidents occurred in the early morning and two involved girls walking to school, they said.
Word of the arrest brought a sense of relief to Mt. Vernon Junior High School, where two of the victims are students.
“We’re extremely pleased,” Assistant Principal Earl Barner said. “If the police have indeed got their man we’re grateful that they were able to do it before students started to panic.”
School officials said they sent letters to parents two weeks ago warning that a rapist might be on the loose.
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