Long Beach Rapist May Have Struck in Huntington Beach

Police are trying to determine whether the man who assaulted a 75-year-old woman in Huntington Beach on Tuesday night is the so-called Belmont Shore Rapist suspected in at least 11 assaults in Long Beach, west Orange County and Seattle since 1996.

The attacker entered a house in the 15000 block of Cambay Lane about 11:30 p.m. and grabbed the woman from behind. The victim, who had called 911 when she first heard the intruder inside her house, managed to fight off the man and force him to flee, police said. Officers arrived within minutes of the call and used dogs to search the area.

The incident fit the pattern of the Belmont Shore Rapist, who attacks older women late at night. Police stopped short of saying it was the same perpetrator, however, cautioning that their investigation is still in its early stages.

“We don’t know if he was there to commit a sexual assault or not,” Huntington Beach Police spokesman Sgt. Gary Meza said. “There’s a little similarity. But other than that he’s ... attacked an elderly woman, we don’t know for sure. It’s premature at this point to say that it is him.”

Long Beach police said they are sharing information with Huntington Beach police and assisting with the investigation. “We’re not positively sure there’s a connection,” said Long Beach Police spokesman Officer David Marander. “But from the onset, it appears they could possibly be related.”

Police have recovered evidence linking the serial rapist to 11 sexual assaults and believe he may have committed four others in Long Beach or Orange County.

The rapist has attacked at least eight Long Beach women, always entering through an open door or window late at night or early in the morning. The women range in age from 32 to 77 and most were alone.

In all cases, the victims’ faces were covered, preventing them from getting a description of the attacker. The suspect also covered his face in many cases, police said.

The string of sexual assaults began in August 1996 with the rape of a 40-year-old woman in Seattle. The first Long Beach attack occurred in January 1997, also on a 40-year-old woman. The last verified assault occurred at 2:30 a.m. June 26 in the Belmont Heights area of Long Beach, where a 61-year-old woman was attacked.

Police believe the rapist also sexually assaulted a 72-year-old woman in Los Alamitos on May 11 and assaulted a 68-year-old woman in the same neighborhood an hour later. The only other confirmed Orange County attack came in June 2000 in Huntington Beach.

“We’re aggressively investigating this case,” Marander said. “It’s at the forefront of our investigations.”

With fear mounting over the unsolved attacks, police are seeking the public’s help.

“We’re asking that they secure their homes and notify us of any suspicious activity,” Marander said. “Evidently this person has been able to blend in for some time. So this might be someone you wouldn’t necessarily think would commit these crimes.”

Huntington Beach police ask that anyone with information call (714) 375-5066. Long Beach police have set up a sexual assault hotline at (800) 600-1110.