A 35-year-old man was arrested during a traffic stop north of Los Angeles Thursday in the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl in a bedroom of her family's Culver City home
Marcos Maldonado was arrested on the 5 Freeway after leaving a hotel and boarding a bus headed to Bakersfield, police said at a Friday morning news conference. The bus was pulled over in the Santa Clarita area, where the suspect surrendered and was taken into custody, police said.
Maldonado, who had been living in a downtown Los Angeles hotel, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated sexual assault of child. He was being held on $1.25 million bond with arraignment scheduled for Monday.
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Authorities said DNA evidence found at the scene of the crime led to the arrest. There is no evidence to suggest the suspect knew the victim, police said.
The child's mother was at the Friday news conference, but did not speak.
"While we have no reports of additional crimes of this nature in the Culver City area, we are collaborating with other law enforcement agencies to identify any additional victims," Culver City police said in a news release.
Officers responded to the Blair Hills neighborhood home at about 7:45 a.m. Dec. 2 after receiving a report that the girl had been sexually assaulted in her bedroom. The assault happened sometime between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., hours before the attacker left the scene at 7 a.m., Culver City police said.
The parents of the 12-year-old girl said they woke up that morning to pleas from their daughter to call the police.
"'Mom, we need to call the police' I am thinking, am I hearing you right? Am I hearing you right? So, by the third time, she was very direct," said the girl's mother, Alexis. "'Call the police, mom.' That's what we did."
The intruder entered through a balcony. Alexis said he left through the front door.
The family and police asked for help in identifying a man seen leaving the home on a neighbor's security camera. Police released the security camera image in an effort to identify the man.
Anyone with information regarding the crime was asked to call 310-253-6302. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can email tips at tips@culvercity.org.
