Serial Rapist Has Women on Guard

More than a week after Torrance police announced that a serial rapist was stalking the town, women throughout the quiet South Bay community warily go about their business.

They run errands, return books to the library and take their daily walks in the park, knowing that the rapist attacks in broad daylight when most people feel a certain sense of security. But for some women, that sense of security has been shaken.

“It’s just scary,” Christine Doran, 30, said as she and a friend power-walked around the baseball diamond at Charles H. Wilson Park on Crenshaw Boulevard. “The fact that he’s willing to do this during the day means he has no fear.”

Brazen is the word authorities have used to describe the rapist, who has sexually assaulted two women in five weeks by luring them close enough to his car to brandish a handgun and kidnap them. Two other women were able to run away from him July 4 and July 22.

He grabbed his latest victim--a 16-year-old girl on her way to work--about 3:30 p.m. July 29.

The incidents occurred in residential and commercial areas throughout the city. Except for the attempted kidnapping at 10 p.m. on July 22, all of the attacks took place in daylight hours. In the first three crimes, the man carried a handgun, police said.

The rapist gets the women close enough to his car to scare them with his gun and then kidnaps them, said Lt. Patrick Shortall.

He does not drive them very far, but police would not say if the women had been raped inside his vehicle. Two vehicles have been used in the crimes--a compact silver car and a white van.

Women interviewed say they were relying on common sense to avoid an encounter with the rapist. They no longer walk alone, even in daylight, and they strictly adhere to that old rule about never talking to strangers.

“Don’t stop to give anyone directions, that’s for sure,” said Mary K. Balding, 36. “I’ve just become more aware of everyone around me, and I’ve warned my 9-year-old not to approach anybody’s car.”

When Peggy Enriquez heard news reports about a rapist in her town, she asked some police officer friends for advice.

Their advice was basically not to walk alone, she said. She used to go for nightly walks, but she said she can’t find anyone who will accompany her, so those have stopped. “I really wanted to get back into it, but not now, not with everything that’s going on,” Enriquez said.

News that a rapist lurked close by has disturbed Danelle Bell’s daughter, Jaclyn, so much that the 9-year-old has taken to constantly checking to see if doors and windows are locked.

Jaclyn doesn’t understand what rape is, but after months of hearing about child abductions throughout Southern California, the little girl is concerned about being kidnapped, her mother said. “It’s really affected her,” Bell said. “We’ll be driving along and she’ll look for a white van or a guy who looks like who they showed on TV.”

Other women, such as Rose Hosta, 68, said they are not concerned. “I go out alone all the time, but I’m not worried because I think he’s after the younger ladies,” Hosta said as she geared up for her daily walk.

All of the victims range in age from their late teens to early 30s, but police have warned that none of them shared any specific physical characteristics, and that all women should be on alert.

“The majority of sexual assaults do happen to younger women, but any woman is a potential victim,” said Jennifer Luck, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women.

Police have posted the rapist’s composite sketch around town, and are warning women to be extra careful and cognizant of their surroundings

“We’ve got a lot of irons in the fire,” Shortall said. “People are still calling and we’re relying on them for any information. Every tip is important.”

The assailant is described as African American, 23 to 40 years old, with a stocky build, shaved head and light mustache.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Torrance Police Department at (310) 618-5586 or (310) 328-3456.