Local police agencies are looking for potential victims of a recently arrested sexual assault suspect.
On May 17, around 11:30 p.m., officers responded to a 911 call of a screaming woman near the intersection of Beverly Boulevard and Croft Avenue.
The victim described a man who attacked her while she was out walking her dog. Officers searched the area and quickly detained 33-year-old Antonio Montano, a Los Angeles resident. The victim immediately identified Montano as the suspect. As a result of this arrest and the subsequent investigation, sexual assault investigators from both the Los Angeles and Santa Monica police departmentsare now seeking the public's help in identifying additional victims of a sexual assault. Further investigation revealed Santa Monica police wereinvestigating Montano for three nearly identical cases, leading to his arrest.
Santa Monica police detectivesbelieve Montano committed similar offenses on two occasions. Police believe Montano left behind evidence at the scene of one assault, which led to his identification in the other two Santa Monica cases. When notified by LAPD that Montano was in custody, detectives from both agencies began working together to ensure information discovered in all the investigations would lead to the most effective prosecution. On May 19, investigators from both agencies presented their case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, resulting in four counts of Assault with Intent to Commit Rape, a violation of section 220(a)(1) of the California Penal Code. He remains in custody with bail of $2 million dollars.
Montano has ties to Santa Monica, West Covina, and the West Los Angeles and Koreatown areas of Los Angeles. Detectives are asking potential victims to contact their respective police agencies if they believe Montano attacked them as well.
Anyone with information about any of these crimes or who can help identify additional victims in the City of Los Angeles are asked to call Operations West Bureau-Special Assault Section at (213) 473-0447. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-
LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (1-800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters "LAPD." Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.
The Santa Monica Police Department is asking potential victims and witnesses to related crimes in the City of Santa Monica to contact Detective Michael Chun at (310) 458-8941.
