Intruder Rapes, Robs Woman, Flees Into Desert

A masked man entered a home in the 2300 block of Desert Oak Drive early Sunday, raped a woman and took several hundred dollars in cash, police said.

The assailant fled the house when deputies arrived.

“He ran out the back door and into a huge open desert area,” Sheriff’s Sgt. Russ Hill said. “We gave chase but couldn’t catch him.”

A neighbor who had noticed the man sneaking around several houses called police at 6:30 a.m., Hill said.

Hill did not know how the man entered the home, where the victim lives with her 7-year-old son. Hill said that he was not sure whether the boy was awakened during the attack, but the child was not harmed.

The man awakened the woman by tugging at her arm. He then raped her until deputies arrived.

The woman was taken to Antelope Valley Hospital.

The area was sealed off for two hours while 13 deputies and a canine unit searched for the suspect.

Hill would not say whether the man was armed. He said the intruder was wearing dark clothing, a baseball cap and a mask made out of cloth.