Police Kill Rape Suspect During Attack

An alleged rapist who threatened to kill his 50-year-old victim if police did not leave her Hollywood home was shot to death by an officer, authorities said.

The unidentified suspect, in his mid-30s, entered an unlocked door of the victim’s home in the 7300 block of Willoughby Avenue about 10 a.m., Los Angeles Police Detective Ron Karlson said.

The woman had left her door unlocked because she was expecting guests, the detective said.

The suspect was assaulting her in a bedroom when a friend arrived and saw the attack, police said.

The friend “fled the house and notified the police by dialing 911,” Karlson said.

Officer Christopher Casey, an eight-year police veteran, and Officer Mark Ramirez, a probationary officer, arrived within minutes and found the suspect attacking the woman and threatening to stab her with a pair of her own scissors, Karlson said.

“When the suspect saw the officers,” the detective said, “he threatened to kill the victim if they didn’t leave.”

Casey fired two shots from his service revolver at the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene, Karlson said. The victim was treated for rape trauma at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.