By Brian Hews
A manhunt is underway to find a man responsible for a violent sexual assault on a teenage girl in Lancaster.
On Thursday, December 13, at about 6:15AM, a 14-year old girl was walking to school in the 2000 block of East Avenue J-8 in Lancaster when she noticed the suspect walking behind her.
“Believing that she was being followed, the victim crossed the street. She noticed that the suspect had also crossed the street and was getting closer to her. The suspect grabbed the victim and dragged her into bushes located along the south side of the street. The suspect then proceeded to sexually assault the victim,” a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department proclaimed on Thursday afternoon.
The suspect eventually stopped his assault and fled the location on foot towards 20th Street East. The victim went to a local residence and contacted Lancaster Sheriff’s Station. The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The suspect is described as a Male Black, 30-35 years old, 5’07-5’08 tall, dreadlock hairstyle.
“Our community is absolutely appalled that someone would perpetrate such a heinous act. We do not tolerate such crimes here in the Antelope Valley,” said City of Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris. “There is a $5,000 reward for the apprehension of the criminal responsible.”
Captain Bob Jonsen, commander of Lancaster Sheriff’s Station, commented, “Lancaster station will be increasing uniformed patrol presence to ensure a safe passage for kids to and from school. In addition, we are combining our investigative resources with that of Special Victims Bureau, to apprehend the suspect as quickly as possible.”
Detectives from the Sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau are handling the investigation and are seeking the public’s assistance in apprehending this dangerous suspect. Anyone who may have additional information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Bureau at (877) 710-5273 or [email protected]. Or if you wish to remain Anonymous, call “LA Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the websitehttp://lacrimestoppers.org
