A sex fiend may be responsible for as many as five separate incidents involving Asian women around the city, according to investigators.
Police said on Wednesday that they were looking into the possibility that two home invasions in Carmel Valley were connected to a third case near UCSD. On Friday, detectives said those incidents appear to be related to a pair of others as well.
In all five cases, the pervert was armed with a knife and took his victims by surprise after they had just gotten home. In many of the cases, he tied up the victims. In all but one of the cases, there was a sexual assault, sexual battery or the threat of a sexual assault.
San Diego police Capt. Jim Collins said that in several cases, the victims have turned over cash, ATM cards and car keys, but none of those items has led to any additional clues. He said that DNA was taken from one victim and that investigators are trying to gather more DNA evidence.
The first case occurred in the 6500 block of Montezuma Road on June 6, 2008. In that case, the man confronted the victim in her apartment, demanded money and sexually assaulted her.
The second case occurred on Nov. 7, 2008 in the 9200 block of Regents Road. In that incident, a man sexually assaulted a woman inside her apartment at a UCSD graduate student- housing complex, UCSD police said. In that attack the victim came home around 3:30 p.m. and didn’t realize a man had followed her in when she entered her front door. The man had a knife, quickly tied her up and tried to rape her, but she resisted, police said, and the man left.
She described her attacker as a light-skinned man with facial hair, 20-30 years old, 5’6” to 5’9”, about 160 lbs, wearing a baseball cap and a white Chargers T-shirt with jeans, according to police. Police said Friday that physical description is consistent in all five incdents.
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UCSD police released a sketch of a possible suspect based on her description.
Investigators believe a third crime took place on Jan. 16 in Tierrasanta in the 5100 block of Camino Playa De Oro. In that case, the victim was confronted in her garage by the suspect and robbed of cash.
Then on Feb. 10, a man approached a Carmel Valley woman walking from her car into her home on Whispering Hills Lane just before noon. He slipped under the garage door before it closed, holding a knife, tied up the woman and robbed her, San Diego police said. She told police the man was wearing jeans, a gray, zipped sweatshirt and ball cap.
On March 4 around noon, another Carmel Valley woman was attacked in her home, this time in the 3700 block of Carmel View Road. The man entered through an open garage door, armed with a knife, tied up the victim and sexually assaulted her, San Diego police said. The suspect then took the victim's wallet and left, according to investigators.
Last week investigators thought they had a break in the two Carmel Valley home invasions when they arrested a 45-year old man who seemed to match the description of the suspect. He lived on Carmel View Road, near the most recent assault victim.
Investigators now believe he had nothing to do with the assaults.
Anyone with information about any of the cases is being urged to cal the police. Tips can also be called in anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477
