Sexual Assault Suspect Nabbed While Attempting to Flee the State After Old Pasadena Attack

At about midnight Friday night, a resident in the 100 block of North Raymond Avenue encountered a woman who said she had just escaped from a nearby apartment where she said she had been been held against her will and physically and sexually assaulted.

The resident called police.

The victim suffered multiple severe contusions to her face, head, and body.  She identified the suspect as her former boyfriend, Jorge Arturo Ruiz, 42, a Pasadena resident, police said in a statement.

Ruiz fled on foot when the victim escaped.

Upon further investigation and with the assistance of the United States Marshals Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, police determined that the suspect was attempting to flee the state in a vehicle.

A Department of Justice High Risk Want was placed on the vehicle.

At approximately 1:30 a.m. this morning, Ruiz and an accomplice were stopped and detained by CHP officers just prior to crossing the state line into Nevada on the Interstate 15 Freeway.

Ruiz was arrested without incident and later booked at the Pasadena jail for numerous charges including sexual and physical assault. Ruiz is being held at the Pasadena Jail with a bail amount of $1,050,000.

Christine Yerikian, 30, a Los Angeles resident and Marta Valladares, 36, also of Los Angeles, were also arrested for aiding and abetting Ruiz in the commission of his crimes, destruction of evidence, and assisting Ruiz in avoiding arrest by law enforcement.

Both were booked at the Pasadena Jail on $100,000 bail. Yerikian has subsequently been released on bond.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call Pasadena Police Detective Robin Stinson at (626) 744-7099, the Pasadena Police Watch Commander at (626) 744-4620 after-hours, or you may report information anonymously at lacrimestoppers.com (insert key word Pasadena).