Police were searching for a man who suspected of attacking and robbing four separate women in apartment building elevators. Beverly White reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015.
Police on Tuesday released surveillance video of the violent attack and robbery of a woman in a Los Angeles apartment building carried out by a man wanted in three other similar attacks on lone women.
The video shows a man in a hooded sweatshirt and shorts following the woman into the lobby of an apartment building in the Koreatown area on Dec. 30. The attacker then grabs the victim from behind, slams her to the floor, drags and punches her, before taking off with her purse.
Los Angeles police said the assailant was believed to be responsible for four different attacks on women in apartment building elevators in the Koreatown and East Hollywood areas.
The robberies took place on:
- Nov. 9 about 4:25 a.m. in the 300 block of Alexandria Avenue.
- Nov. 23 about 12:30 a.m. in the 500 block of Hobart Boulevard.
- Dec. 23 about 2 a.m. in the 300 block of Alexandria Avenue.
- Dec. 30 about 10:50 p.m. in the 400 block of Westmoreland Avenue.
All four victims were Koreans, officials said.
"This individual is escalating his attacks," said Jack Richter of the LAPD. "The third attack involved a sexual battery, the fourth attack involved a sharp instrument. We want to catch this person."
Anna Kim said she knows the victim from the Dec. 23 attack.
"A person I know from my neighborhood has been attacked while she was going inside of the home. She was pushed from the back and almost was raped."
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The attacker was described as Hispanic, about 5-foot-7-inches tall, weighing between 130 and 170 pounds. He was wearing a sweatshirt and shorts.
Anyone with information about the robberies was asked to call the Los Angeles Police Department at 213-382-9460.
NBC4's Beverly White contributed to this report.
