Teenager is arrested in Santa Monica sexual assault case
Santa Monica police Friday arrested a 17-year-old suspected of sexually assaulting a woman when she discovered him burglarizing her home.
Police said they believe the woman was targeted after hiring day laborers to work at her home.
“I want to reassure everyone that though this crime was vicious and brutal, it was not a random attack,” Santa Monica Police Chief Timothy J. Jackman said at a news conference late Friday.
The woman arrived home in the 1100 block of Princeton Street about 10 p.m. Thursday and found an intruder inside. He tied her up and sexually assaulted her, Officer Mike Solis said.
The attacker left the home about 2:10 a.m., Solis said, with the woman’s bank cards and her tan 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL 500. The woman freed herself, went to a neighbor’s home and called police. She was in stable condition at a hospital Friday, Solis said.
A teenager was stopped in Oxnard while driving the woman’s car Friday afternoon, said Santa Monica Police Lt. Alex Padilla. Padilla said evidence linking the driver to the assault was recovered from the car.
Police did not release the youth’s name. Padilla said he will be charged with armed robbery, rape, burglary and grand theft auto.
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