Woman Raped, Stabbed, Beaten During Early Morning Break-In

A 53-year-old woman was raped, stabbed, beaten and left for dead Wednesday by an assailant who ransacked her home and fled with an undetermined amount of money, according to Los Angeles police.

Although suffering from a punctured lung and other serious injuries, the woman was able to call paramedics, who took her to a nearby hospital. She was in serious condition Wednesday, police said.

“I’ve seen a lot of these during my career,” said Det. Corinne Malinka. “But this one is pretty bad.”

At 3 a.m., a man broke in through the victim’s kitchen window and attacked her as she lay asleep, Malinka said.

“He demanded money, he sexually assaulted her and then he stabbed her, puncturing her lung,” Malinka said. “Then he again sexually assaulted her and beat her.”

After the assault the rapist left the bedroom and ransacked the house, stealing cash from the victim’s purse, Malinka said.

The attacker was a slender Latino in his mid-20s, with short brown hair and a thin mustache, wearing a white T-shirt and tan pants, Malinka said.

So far this year there have been about 120 rapes in the San Fernando Valley, according to Los Angeles Police Department statistics. Of those, about 50 were committed by people who were strangers to their victims.