Man Arrested in Series of Westside Sex Assaults

Police have arrested a 32-year-old man in connection with a series of sexual assaults on the Westside, officials said Wednesday.

Pablo Carlos Pineda is believed responsible for four attacks that began earlier this year, including one in which he allegedly used a brick to beat a victim, Santa Monica Police Lt. Saul Rodriguez said.

The sexual assaults took place in Santa Monica on Jan. 13 and Feb. 5, and in West Los Angeles on July 2. Pineda is also linked to a "violent attack" in Beverly Hills on April 5 in which a victim fought back, police said.

An investigation involving the FBI and forensic evidence led authorities to Pineda, police said. He was arrested Tuesday in the MacArthur Park area of Los Angeles.

Pineda faces charges, including forcible rape and assault by means producing great bodily injury, for the Santa Monica assaults, Rodriguez said, with more possible charges for the other attacks.

Pineda was being held on $385,000 bail.

Police continued their search for another man who sexually assaulted a woman in West Los Angeles on July 4. Investigators believed he was responsible for the July 2 attack, but later linked Pineda to the crime.

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