Suspect in Woman’s Killing Captured

A movie grip suspected in the death of one woman and sexual assaults on others was captured by Los Angeles police early Thursday after he leaped from a second-story window of a Hollywood apartment building.

Paul Alan Ott was arrested on suspicion of killing Edith I. Mejia, 42, of Los Angeles, who was bludgeoned and stabbed to death. Her naked corpse was found in Ott’s vehicle Monday.

Ott, 35, who sports a goatee and numerous tattoos, is also a suspect in sexual assaults on two other women he picked up in the Union Avenue corridor, just west of downtown, police said.

One woman told detectives that she was lured into Ott’s vehicle and sexually assaulted at his Van Nuys apartment, police said.

She said that during the ordeal, Ott stopped in Hollywood and forced her to help load a woman’s body into his vehicle. She told police that Ott claimed to have killed others.

Another assault victim came forward after police identified Ott.

Ott may be a serial rapist who targeted prostitutes, or a multiple murderer, said Capt. Al Michelena of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division.

“Now, we have to start tracking down leads as far as missing persons go. Obviously, we’ll be running this M.O. through our computer systems,” Michelena said. “Whether we are dealing with a serial criminal could take several weeks to determine.”

At a news conference at the Church on the Way in Van Nuys, Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton thanked investigators who assisted in the manhunt, including agents from the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service.

“We were very concerned that he would flee the city,” Bratton said. “Needless to say, we are very pleased with the very prompt arrest.”

A tipster directed officers to the Hollywood Towers, an upscale apartment building in the 7100 block of Hollywood Boulevard. Police arrived about 1:30 a.m.

Police heard a loud commotion, and fearing that the suspect was assaulting someone in the residence, they moved in, officials said.

A source familiar with the investigation said that Ott, in a drug-induced state, punched holes through drywall in a possible attempt to escape. When that failed, he jumped from the second story.

LAPD officials said that officers fired three times at the suspect, who then surrendered without resistance. Ott, who was not hit by gunfire, was taken to County-USC Medical Center’s jail ward, where he was treated for minor injuries.

Residents of the complex said they were used to hearing gunfire in the area but not in such close proximity.

“I just woke up to all of this this morning,” said Frank Giordano, a 26-year resident of Hollywood Towers.

“I came here for show business, and I think I found it in my own apartment,” said Giordano, 64.

Until a week ago, Jorge Cruz, 30, had lived in apartment No. 9, where Ott was hiding.

“I thought they were looking for me, honestly,” Cruz said.