Prosecutors have charged a 29-year-old man with a number of counts of forcible rape and one rely of tried homicide after attacking two ladies close to the Venice canals earlier this month, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón introduced at a information convention Monday.
Anthony Jones, 29, was arrested in San Diego final week after police recognized him as a suspect within the violent assaults. He was introduced again to Los Angeles and brought into custody.
“These are most likely a few of the most heinous sexual assaults I’ve ever seen,” Gascón mentioned on the information convention. “The extent of brutality that was engaged in was very reprehensible.”
Costs in opposition to Jones additionally embrace one rely of sexual penetration by use of power, one rely of sodomy by use of power, one rely of mayhem and one rely of torture. If convicted, he might face a most sentence of life in jail.
“It felt like I received hit by a truck,” one of many ladies who was attacked informed KTLA-TV Channel 5 from her hospital mattress. “I used to be simply strolling after which all of the sudden I wasn’t.”
The Occasions doesn’t determine victims of sexual assault. One of many victims beforehand informed The Occasions that she was out on a stroll that evening to succeed in her 10,000 each day step aim and didn’t suspect the world to be harmful.
She plans to hold pepper spray and is contemplating getting a canine for extra safety, she informed The Occasions. She suffered critical accidents, together with not less than eight fractures to her jaw, a big laceration to the again of her head and facial bruising.
The primary assault occurred round 10:30 p.m. April 6 within the 2700 block of Strongs Drive. A lady was attacked from behind with a tough object and knocked unconscious.
About an hour later and fewer than a mile away close to the Sherman Canal, a second lady was attacked. Police allege that Jones is liable for each incidents.
“On a private stage, I’ve been completely horrified and heartbroken by what occurred to those ladies,” mentioned Los Angeles Metropolis Councilmember Traci Park, who represents Venice. “I can solely think about the ache and the grief and the anger that these victims and their households should really feel.”
