Police Hunt for Child Predator

The victims are usually young girls walking alone in the morning

By SCOTT WEBER

Updated 9:45 AM PST, Fri, Nov 6, 2009

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A sexual assault suspect has been preying on 9- and 10-year-old girls in the Westlake district and police are trying to find him.

The man has been active for more than a year and has engaged at least four victims.

According to a Los Angeles Police Department press release, the suspect approaches young girls and eventually entices them into apartment buildings where he tries to sexually assault them. Most of the assaults have taken place early in the morning with girls who were walking alone.

The most recent incident involved a 10-year-old girl around 7:20 a.m. Wednesday, police said.

The youngster was heading to school near Beverly Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue when she was approached by the suspect.

He reportedly engaged her in friendly conversation, then lured her into an apartment building in the 100 block of South Commonwealth Avenue, where he allegedly took the girl up to the roof area and tried to sexually assault her.

"The girl begged the suspect to stop his advances and repeatedly pushed him away," police said in a statement. "It is believed that the victim's persistent actions caused the suspect to stop and leave the location."

Images of the suspect, who gained access to the building by waiting for someone to exit, were captured on an apartment complex video surveillance system. Those images show the suspect walking with the victim and then later running alone northbound on Commonwealth Avenue, police said.

In July, the suspect approached a 10-year-old girl walking near Third and Hoover streets around 7 a.m. and drew her into an apartment building, police said. The suspect allegedly took the girl onto the roof, but something may have startled him into fleeing the scene and leaving the victim behind.

Police believe the same man is responsible for two other crimes that occurred last year.

Anyone with information about the suspect, or additional victims and witnesses, was asked to call Robbery-Homicide Division, Special Assaults Section at (213) 485-2921 or (877) LAPD-24-7.