Man accused of raping clerk inside barricaded store due in court
An 18-year-old accused of repeatedly raping a woman inside an El Monte convenience store that he had barricaded is scheduled to reappear in court Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Joseph Leo Amaya faces two counts of forcible rape and three counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object in the Oct. 19 incident. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Pomona, according to Shiara Dávila-Morales, spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office.
The woman, 19, told authorities she was working a night shift at a mini-mart when Amaya approached her. He left, but returned as the woman tried to lock the doors at the end of her shift. Prosecutors say Amaya blocked the front doors, then dragged the woman to the back of store and raped her repeatedly.
Prosecutors have asked that Amaya’s bail be set at $5 million. He faces up to 125 years to life in state prison if convicted on all charges.
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Twitter: @AliciaDotBanks | alicia.banks@latimes.com
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