Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a man suspected of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy two weeks ago at a Boyle Heights church.
According to a Los Angeles Police Department statement, the victim and his family were at at an event on Saturday, March 17, at a church near the 1700 block of East César E. Chávez Avenue. Although the police did not identify the church or the event, some media outlets reported the attack took place at White Memorial Seventh Day Adventist Church, which is at that location and holds services on Saturdays.
After the event ended, the boy used the upstairs bathroom. An unknown male suspect approached the victim and punched him in the face, knocking him down to the ground.
The suspect then dragged the victim out of the restroom and attempted to place him in a storage room. The victim lost consciousness as the suspect attempted to rip his shirt apart.
At around 5:30 pm, the victim was found unconscious in a secluded stairwell. When the victim awoke he complained of pain to his rectum.
Police say the suspect fled in an unknown direction.
The suspect is described by detectives as a black man with a shaved or bald head and light colored eyes, possibly green. He was last seen wearing a yellow long sleeve T-shirt, light blue jeans with designer tears and red Timberland boots with light tan colored soles.
Anyone with information about the suspect or the attack is urged to call detectives at Hollenbeck division at (323) 342-8997.
This post was edited on March 30 to add details.
