One-Man Crime Wave Stopped with Arrest for Sexual Assault, Indecent Exposure and Residential Burglaries

A Los Angeles man was arrested Wednesday afternoon for sexual assault of three females, for indecent exposure and for a series of residential burglaries in South Pasadena.

At about 7:40 a.m. Wednesday, South Pasadena Police Department officers rushed to South Pasadena High School after reports of three separate sexual assaults in the area.

Shortly after, at at about 9:15 a.m., officers responded to an additional call of a male suspect exposing himself near the intersection of Fair Oaks Ave and Rollin Street, near the South Pasadena Middle School.

Brian Solinsky, a captain with the South Pasadena Police Department, announced late Wednesday afternoon during a press conference, that a suspect, described as a 22-year-old African American male, had been arrested in connection to the case. Authorities captured a man meeting the description of the suspect in Los Angeles.

During the investigation, South Pasadena Police dispatch officials received a call of a residential burglary in progress in the 1200 block of Lyndon Street with the suspect matching the description from the sexual assault. Police say the suspect then continued to break into several other residences in the area of the 1500 block of Fair Oaks Avenue and the 1500 block of Rollin Street.

“One of the burglaries, the victim was home asleep,” explained South Pasadena Police Department Captain Brian Solinsky. “The victim awoke, found the suspect inside his home holding a knife and demanding money.” Officers immediately responded but the suspect was gone when they arrived.

A lockdown was placed on the local High School and local middle school to ensure the safety of students. At approximately 10:34 a.m. the surrounding area was deemed safe and the lock down was immediately lifted.

Solinsky said the officers worked tirelessly throughout the investigation and followed a number of different leads. “With the help of one of the victims, evidence was brought forth that led the officers to the area of Olympic Blvd. and Soto Street in Los Angeles,” he said. “When detectives arrived to the area, they saw an individual who matched the description of the suspect who committed the crimes (in South Pasadena).

The SPPD captain said the suspect attempted to get into a car and flee the scene. “Officers were able conduct a traffic stop and ultimately arrested him,” Solinsky said.

During the investigation, police determined that the suspect’s car was stolen, as evidence inside, according to Solinsky, linked the man to the South Pasadena burglaries. “The suspect is currently in our custody but because of the ongoing investigation, there are still witnesses and evidence that still need to be followed up with, so we are not releasing his identification,” explained Solinsky, adding that authorities believe the suspect acted alone in the crime spree.

All of the burglaries occurred in about a four to five block radius, near South Pasadena High School, explained the police captain. Solinsky said it was unusual for South Pasadena to experience a large number of crimes all at once since it “enjoys a fairly low crime rate,” he said. “We don’t deal with this sort of thing all the time, but we did have the resources available, manpower to jump on this right away and act with a sense of urgency.”

He said the three female victims in the assaults involved two juveniles and one adult.

Solinsky said the suspect, brought into custody at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, was on parole for burglary and released in 2013. He said there was nothing linking the suspect to South Pasadena, either business or residential. “Maybe it was a crime of opportunity,” he said. “We haven’t determined a motive at this time.”

Out of an abundance of caution, and the close proximity to the schools, “we had the schools placed on a lockdown,” Solinsky explained of the two-hour ordeal. “Once officers conducted the investigation, we were satisfied the suspect was no longer in the area, and the lockdown was lifted.”

SouthPasadenaNow.com will post more information as it learns more.