Man sought in Long Beach sex assault of mentally disabled woman
Long Beach detectives are searching for a man who allegedly kidnapped a 53-year-old mentally disabled woman from a parking lot last month and sexually assaulted her.
Surveillance footage from a nearby business shows the man parking his vehicle at the outdoor lot Jan. 14 about 1:30 a.m. near 15th Street and Long Beach Boulevard. He walked away from the car and moments later led the victim toward the four-door vehicle.
As they got closer to his car, the assailant put his right arm around her and his left hand appeared to be on her, as well. The video goes black before the car door opens, but the assailant used physical force to get the woman into it before assaulting her, the Long Beach Police Department said in a statement.
Because the woman is mentally disabled, the assailant may have had to use a lot of force to overpower her, said Nancy Pratt, spokeswoman for the department.
About 45 minutes after kidnapping the woman, the assailant dropped her off less than a mile from where he forced her into the car, near Long Beach Polytechnic High School at 16th Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard. She immediately reported the attack to police.
The attacker’s vehicle is believed to be a mid- to late-90s dark-colored Nissan Maxima.
He was described as about 30 years old, 5 feet, 9 inches tall to 5 feet, 11 inches and 180 to 200 pounds. He was wearing a light-colored sweater, dark pants and had short hair.
The victim did not see any weapons, Long Beach police said. Detectives believe the attacker is familiar with the area.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Long Beach Police Sex Crimes Det. Jennifer Kearns at (562) 570-7368. Anonymous tips may be submitted at (800) 222-TIPS (8477), by texting TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637) or visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.
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