Mother Captures Suspect in Sexual Assault of Her Son

A mother’s trip to a Reseda laundromat ended in her capturing a man suspected of sexually assaulting her son in an alley behind the coin-op, police said.

The suspect, Rafael Manguia Magana, 40, of Reseda, was arrested about 9 p.m. Sunday behind the laundromat in the 7600 block of Reseda Boulevard, said Kevin Maiberger of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Magana, who has no prior record, was booked on suspicion of lewd acts upon a child, and remained in custody Monday on $100,000 bail.

The victim, a 13-year-old boy, was playing in the alley with an 11-year-old friend while his mother and the friend’s male legal guardian were inside the coin-op, Maiberger said.

The suspect allegedly approached the boys in the alley and grabbed the 13-year-old while the younger boy ran away and hid, Maiberger said.

Just as the suspect allegedly was undressing himself and the victim, the 13-year-old was able to escape, Maiberger said.

The two boys ran back into the laundromat to tell the victim’s mother and the other adult what happened.

The two adults went out to the alley, caught the suspect and held him until police arrived, Maiberger said.

Maiberger praised the two adults for catching a suspected sex offender before he was able to strike again. “It was pretty proactive,” he said.