Serial Rape Suspect Still at Large After Chase

SANTA ANA —  Neighbors in an apartment complex chased a man authorities say may be a long-sought serial rapist after he sexually attacked a woman Monday in a laundry room, police said.

Officers surrounded a building where the man was thought to be hiding, but a two-hour manhunt turned up nothing.

Six other women have been attacked since July 14 in a 30-block area around Bristol and 17th streets.

Police said that just after 6 a.m., a man confronted a woman in the Heritage Village courtyard at knifepoint and forced her into the complex’s laundry room, where police sketches of the suspected serial rapist were posted on a wall.

When a resident who had heard noises opened the laundry door to investigate, the man walked calmly from the room, then ran when the woman screamed for help. A handful of people who had heard the commotion gave chase, residents said.

One of those residents said the man went over a 5-foot fence and ran across Bristol. During the chase, he peeled off a short-sleeved red, white and blue Tommy Hilfiger polo shirt.

Police bloodhounds tracked the attacker to the Islander Apartments a few blocks away. Officers surrounded the building for more than two hours.

“We feel confident that the suspect was [inside the complex] for some period of time,” Santa Ana Police Sgt. Raul Luna said.

Luna said the rape suspect might have been spooked by his near-capture Monday. “[But] one thing you have to remember, he’s a sexual predator . . . [he acts] regardless of the chances of getting caught.”

Police took the rare step of forming a task force of 30 officers and detectives last week to track down the rapist. An updated sketch was released after Monday’s attack.

The first attack occurred July 14, followed by a second Aug. 18. Two women were assaulted Sept. 10 and then two more last week. In two of those cases, the victims were attacked but not raped, and both times the suspect attacked again within 45 minutes, authorities said.

He is believed to be in his early 20s, preys on women in gated apartment complexes and attacks at night or in the early morning.