A 14-year-old boy attacked and threatened to rape a woman who was riding her bicycle along the Los Angeles River in Woodland Hills on Sunday night, police said.
The 28-year-old woman had taken a break on the bike path just west of Corbin Avenue about 9:30 p.m. when she was attacked, Los Angeles Police Department officials said. The attacker allegedly knocked her to the ground, hit her and threatened to rape her.
"She fought back and she screamed and yelled," said Sgt. Cathy Riggs of the LAPD’s Topanga Canyon Station.
The woman called 911 and gave a detailed description of her attacker. Minutes later, police took him into custody nearby.
The boy was being held at the Sylmar Juvenile Hall. He faces a charge of attempted rape.
Police said the woman saved herself because she was able to evaluate the situation and respond in the moment.
"You are either going to flee, you're going to freeze or you're going to fight, and had she frozen she would have ended up a rape victim," Riggs said.
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Jo Ann Hammer has lived near the bike path where the attack happened all of her life. She said she and her family members don’t go to the wash alone.
"It happens everywhere, even in the best of neighborhoods. It’s very scary," Hammer said. "I don't let my kids go out ever without us being in the front yard with them or they're plaing in the backyard."
