Santa Ana Hunts Serial Rapist
A knife-wielding rapist has attacked at least four women in Santa Ana over the last two months, police said.
All of the attacks have happened in the early morning as the women walked alone in gated apartment complexes along the 17th Street corridor between the Santa Ana River and the Santa Ana Freeway, said Sgt. Raul Luna, a spokesman for the Santa Ana Police Department.
“He lies in wait, and he will conceal himself somewhere in the parking or courtyard areas,” Luna said. “The attacks occur inside, so we speculate that he’s jumping the fence or walking in behind a car.”
After approaching the victims, all of whom have been in their 20s or early 30s, the man threatens them with a knife and forces them into a dark, secluded area where he attacks them and then disappears into the complex.
During the first two attacks, which happened on July 14 and Aug. 18, both Fridays, the rapist had a mustache, investigators said, but he was clean-shaven during the third and fourth attacks, both of which happened Sept. 10, a Sunday.
The rapist is described as Latino, about 25, 5 feet 7, 150 pounds, with a light complexion, distinctive eyes and slicked-back black hair.
Investigators ask that anyone with information about the man or the incidents call the Santa Ana Police Department at (714) 245-8379.
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