LAPD

Man Suspected of Attempting to Rape Woman Nearly a Month Ago Arrested

The Aug. 12 sexual assault was caught on camera

Police Tuesday arrested a 27-year-old man suspected of attempting to rape a woman nearly a month ago in Van Nuys.

Antonio Reyes of Arleta was arrested at work and booked on suspicion of attempted rape, police said at a news conference at the Los Angeles Police Department's Van Nuys Station.

The woman, who is in her 30s, fought the suspect off when she was assaulted near her apartment about 5:40 a.m. on Aug. 12 in the 14400 block of Vanowen Street, near Van Nuys Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Police said she "put on at least a two- to three-minute fight'' with the suspect as he pulled down her pants and underwear.

Authorities received various tips from different sources after they released surveillance footage of the struggle. 

Reyes fled the scene on foot then took a cab to get away. Days after the attack, the cab company saw the footage and worked with investigators to identify him.

The suspect, who reeked of alcohol, spoke to the woman in Spanish, which she does not speak, she told police.

Video of the attack shows cars rolling by and a pedestrian pass nearby, with no one coming to the woman's aid.

The woman, who asked to be unidentified, has since spoken out about the assault during a press conference after Reyes' arrest.

"I live here and I built my nest," she said. "If anything it's a mama bird defending where she's laid her nest."

Contact Us