Detectives believe the suspect may be connected to additional attacks across the Westside and urge victims to come forward.
Alexander Schecter, a 24-year-old Santa Monica resident, was arrested on Friday by UCLA Police Department detectives on multiple felony counts, including rape, kidnapping, and extortion, according to a UCPD UCLA press release.
Investigators believe Schecter, who has no known affiliation with the university, may be linked to additional unreported crimes across the Westside. He is currently being held at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Twin Towers Correctional Facility with bail set at $600,000.
The investigation began following a March 8 report of a kidnapping on the 500 block of Landfair Avenue. Police allege that Schecter prevented two female UCLA students from exiting his vehicle and used threats of violence to keep them inside as he drove them to a different location on Gayley Avenue.
Though Schecter was initially arrested for kidnapping and subsequently posted bail, continued detective work uncovered evidence of a separate, previously unreported sexual assault. That incident is alleged to have occurred on October 12, 2025, near the intersection of Venice Boulevard and Clarington Avenue between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.
Based on the new evidence, Schecter was re-arrested at his home and booked on charges of rape by force, forcible oral copulation, robbery, extortion, and battery.
UCLA detectives are urging any other individuals who may have had similar encounters with the suspect to contact the Investigations Division at 310-825-9371.
