Woman held for 11 hours, repeatedly raped; suspect arrested
A woman was kidnapped and repeatedly raped for 11 hours Wednesday before managing to free herself and alert a neighbor about her plight, prompting a lengthy manhunt for the suspected assailant, authorities said.
About 3 a.m. near a gas station at Longden Avenue and Peck Road in Arcadia, a man seized a 25-year-old woman and drove her to his home near 10th Street and Longden Avenue, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Once inside, he raped her several times, sheriff’s officials said.
At some point in the afternoon, the woman managed to free herself and alerted a neighbor who in turn contacted the authorities.
But the abductor managed to haul her back inside, sheriff’s officials said.
When deputies arrived at the home just after 2 p.m., they heard screams coming from inside. The man escaped via a side window, sheriff’s officials said.
Following a nearly seven-hour manhunt in which SWAT teams fanned out across the neighborhood, deputies arrested 29-year-old Philippe Lutete.
Lutete was out on bail on a prior incident, officials said.
The investigation into the incident is being handled by the Sheriff Department’s special victims bureau.
For breaking news in California, follow @MattHjourno.
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