Suspect Held in 3-Month String of Sexual Crimes

A 42-year-old man wearing women’s underwear was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape and could be the “Valley flasher” responsible for a series of sexual attacks and indecent exposures over the last three months at various Ventura Boulevard businesses, authorities said Thursday.

Tyrone Petersen of Winnetka was arrested about 9 p.m. Wednesday after some women reported him exposing himself on Ventura Boulevard near Kelvin Avenue, said Officer Helen Lloyd, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department.

West Valley Division detectives released no details Thursday about the latest incident, but Lloyd tentatively referred to it as “another in that series of crimes” that have been reported on Ventura Boulevard in the last three months.

Officers dispatched to the crime scene spotted Petersen, who matched the description of a man responsible for one of the previously reported incidents, said Sgt. Dan Mastro of the West Valley station.

Petersen was wearing women’s panties and a bra when he was picked up by the officers, Mastro said.

“The officers detained Petersen for investigation to determine if he is linked to the series of crimes,” Mastro said. “The victims of the crime identified Petersen’s clothing as matching the very distinct clothing worn by the suspect they saw earlier in the evening.”

Wednesday night’s crime was the latest in a series of similar incidents dating back to July.

Most of the incidents have occurred along Ventura Boulevard between Woodlake and Corbin avenues in or near businesses or adjacent parking lots.

In one of the cases, a woman managed to free herself from the attacker and locked herself in her car, authorities said.

At least two other incidents--one on July 22, and another on Aug. 14--are being treated as attempted rapes, police said.

During the incidents, the attacker sometimes wore a woman’s blouse, panties and a mask.

A black mask was found near the crime scene after Wednesday night’s incident, Lloyd said. But detectives were still trying to determine whether Petersen is in fact connected to all the incidents.

He remained in custody on suspicion of attempted rape, and bail was set at $125,000 pending his arraignment, authorities said.