A man suspected of sexually assaulting a woman while posing as a police officer was arrested in Fullerton, police said.
Police arrested Nelson Mauricio Lunaty Garcia, 32, on Wednesday in the parking lot of In Cahoots nightclub.
Garcia was convicted in Supeior Court in Santa Ana and faces a maximum sentence of 95 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 27, according to the Orange County Distrcit Attorney's Office.
The alleged assault happened outside of the nightclub on Sept. 3 where a 24-year-old woman was leaving and walking near the parking lot.
The woman told police that she thought Garcia was an undercover police officer. The man allegedly restrained her hands and then placed her in the bank of a vehicle. The man then drove her away from the nightclub and allegedly sexually assaulted her in a remote area, according to the Fullerton Police Department.
Garcia then drove the woman back to the nightclub. The woman later told her friends but did not immediately report the assault to police.
The woman and her friends returned to the nightclub Wednesday when she noticed a vehicle that looked like the car the suspect drove when he allegedly assaulted her. Police were called and they took Garcia into custody, according to the Fullerton Police Department.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
Police also recovered a loaded firearm from Garcia's car and several items that indicate he took part in numerous sexual assaults, according to the Fullerton Police Department.
Police believe there may be more victims and asked anyone with information to call the Fullerton Police Department.
City News Service contributed to this report.
