Police have arrested a man suspected of raping a Boyle Heights woman in her home shortly after midnight on May 15, in one of two recent cases of sexual assault reported near Mariachi Plaza.
Los Angeles Police Department detectives assigned to Hollenbeck division arrested 21-year-old Manuel Larios Muñoz and charged him with rape.
According to police, the 30-year-old woman was sleeping in her bedroom when the suspect forced her living room window open and climbed into her residence on the 1800 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. The man removed most of his clothing and entered the victim’s bedroom wearing only underwear; the victim woke up when she heard a noise and saw the man standing at the foot of her bed. The suspect sexually assaulted the woman then dressed himself before leaving the victim’s residence.
Details of the arrest were announced at a press conference today at the Hollenbeck station. Police say that newly assigned foot patrol officers were informed of the location of the suspect. Detectives followed up on the information and arrested the man.
The foot patrol officers are part of the Hollenbeck Community Partners Program announced a few days after the May 15 sexual assault. At the time, police said officers on the foot beat were intended to strengthen the communication between LAPD and the community.
On April 18, a woman was attacked while walking to her vehicle after leaving the Eastside Luv bar. The woman fought off the attack and the suspect, who sustained an injury, was arrested shortly after.
