Man Linked to Abductions, Rapes of Teens in Azusa, West Covina

San Gabriel Valley police reported Saturday that a lone male appears to be responsible for two recent abductions and sexual assaults of teen-age girls in Azusa and West Covina.

West Covina Police Lt. Jim Dillon said Saturday that a man driving a mini-pickup truck who kidnaped and assaulted a 13-year-old girl Tuesday may be the same man who committed a similar crime against a 13-year-old West Covina girl May 13.

In each case, a man in his mid- to late 20s with a medium build and dark hair in a feathered cut drove up to the victims as they walked to neighborhood schools just before 9 a.m. His truck has been described as gray, silver or blue, with either a painted stripe or a paint spot on one side.

Waving his victims toward his truck on the pretext of asking for directions, the driver forced each girl into his vehicle and bound their mouths with duct tape, Dillon said.

The Azusa victim told police she was abducted at knifepoint at Duell Street and Vernon Avenue and raped in the cab of the truck before she was released.

The West Covina victim was forced into the truck at gunpoint in the 600 block of Phillips Avenue, placed on the floor of the truck, driven to a garage and assaulted, Dillon said. She was dropped off just south of the San Bernardino Freeway.

Police community relations officials plan to step up warning programs at schools. “They should know to always walk in groups, to stay away from vehicles when strangers try to wave them over and, if someone comes after them, to run away,” Dillon said.