Serial Rapist Suspected in Simi Valley Attack

A knife-wielding man who attacked a 17-year-old girl in her bed is believed to be the serial rapist who has prowled the streets of this city for four years, police said Thursday.

The age of the victim, the weapon and the timing and location of Wednesday’s attack are similar to those in other unsolved cases of attempted sexual assault and rape, Simi Valley Police Sgt. Bob Gardner said.

The latest victim, the 12th since the summer of 1996, awoke just before midnight Wednesday to find a man in her bedroom, police said. The assailant, who apparently entered the room through a window, climbed on top of the girl and held a knife to her face as he held her down.

Although told not to scream, the girl did anyway, and the man fled through the back door of the home. The girl was not sexually assaulted, and police are describing the incident as a burglary with intent to rape.

After the attack, police, aided by a helicopter from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, searched unsuccessfully for the suspect.

“There were cops everywhere--undercover cops, police cars, motorcycle cops--you hardly ever see them at night,” said Mindy McQuillen, 18.

Residents expressed concern that the rapist remains at large.

“I can’t believe this has been going on for so long,” said Sather Charron, a cashier at a health food store on Los Angeles Avenue. “It’s so scary.”

Peter Ruiz, a graphic artist who lives in the neighborhood where the latest attack occurred, said he was concerned for his 13-year-old daughter’s safety.

“This guy must be slick, must be cunning,” said Ruiz, 47.

Detectives said the victims have ranged in age from the mid-teens to the mid-20s.

Police believe the suspect selects his victims and studies their habits, often attacking them after they have gone to bed.

Most of the victims have described the assailant as a white male, between the ages of 17 and 25, 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-8 with a medium build.