Sexual Assault May Be Tied to Past Attacks

SIMI VALLEY — Sunday’s sexual assault on a teenage girl in her home may be linked to a string of similar attacks over the last two years, police say.

“There are some similarities and there are some differences between this latest attack and the others,” said Sgt. Bob Gardner of the Simi Valley Police Department. “Right now, there’s not enough evidence for us to say either way.”

According to authorities, the 15-year-old victim and her family were asleep in their home near Tapo Canyon Road and Cochran Street when a man armed with a large knife entered the house through an unlocked door about 2 a.m.

The attacker, described by the victim as in his 20s and possibly white, entered the girl’s room and assaulted her at knifepoint.

He ran away and remains on the loose after police, assisted by K-9 units, sheriff’s deputies and a helicopter, failed to locate the suspect.

Police declined to comment on the specifics of the attack and the condition of the girl, saying only that it was a sexual assault.

Although police said they haven’t linked the assault to a spate of sexual assaults and attempted rapes over the last two years, there are a number of similarities, including the times of the attacks, the age of the women, entry to the residences and physical description.

On Sept. 2, 1996, a man entered a home in the city’s west end through an unlocked door about 2:15 a.m. He subdued and raped a 19-year-old woman while other family members were asleep. The man then fled on foot.

On Sept. 26, 1996, a 23-year-old woman was awakened at a home in the 1200 block of Royal Avenue about 1:45 a.m. after an intruder wrapped his hands around her neck. After a short fight, the man fled, leaving the victim with minor scratches around her neck. Police labeled the case a burglary and attempted rape, adding that the man entered through an unlocked door.

On Jan. 12, 1997, a 21-year-old woman sleeping in her home in the neighborhood between Sycamore Drive and Tapo Canyon Road was awakened by a man placing his hands over her mouth. She resisted and the man fled. Police again called the case a burglary and attempted rape.

On June 14 about 4 a.m., an 18-year-old woman was attacked at knifepoint after a man forced open the window of a home north of the Ronald Reagan Freeway between Erringer Road and Sycamore Drive. The man fled after the other residents of the home were awakened by the woman’s screams. The victim was unhurt.

In each of the incidents, the victim described the assailant as in his late teens or early 20s, possibly white and wearing dark clothes.