September 28 – Santa Monica police are seeking a man who last night raped a woman in her Princeton Street condominium when she came home to find him burglarizing the unit.
The woman came home at approximately 10 p.m. on Thursday, September 27, and found the man inside her residence in the 1100 block of Princeton Street, just north of Wilshire Boulevard. The man, wielding a knife, tied her up, sexually assaulted her, and kept her hostage in her own home for four hours before he left shortly after 2 a.m., taking her ATM card and car keys.
The woman was able to free herself, ran to a neighbor’s house, and called police, who responded at 2:20 a.m. “The victim was taken to a local hospital where she is in stable condition,” said SMPD Lt. Alex Padilla.
The man, a 5’5” Hispanic who spoke broken English, is believed to be driving the woman’s car, a 2003 tan Mercedes 500SL convertible, California license 5JLM188. The man is described as having a medium build and wearing a blue shirt with writing on the front, blue pants, and black shoes.
“The Santa Monica Police Department would like to encourage residents to remain vigilant, lock doors and windows, set burglar alarms, and report any suspicious activity to the police,” said Lt. Padilla.
Police encourage anyone with additional information to call the Santa Monica Police Department Watch Commander at 310.458.8427 (24 hours) or Detectives at 310.458.8451 (M-F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call the WeTip hotline at 800.78.CRIME (72463).
