Surveillance footage released of man wanted for dragging woman into garage in sex attack

Police have described the man, who they suspect is homeless, as being in his early 30s and that he was wearing dark clothes and carrying a bag at the time of the assaults

Surveillance footage has been released of a man in Los Angeles holding a woman around the neck as they walk into a residential garage in West Hollywood, where it’s been reported that he almost raped her before she managed to get away.

The suspect, who hasn’t been apprehended or identified, allegedly attacked two women just minutes apart, with the first incident taking place around 12.30pm on Tuesday when a woman was pushed into a garage by the suspect, who police say intended to sexually assault her.

The man “made threats and demands that made her fear bodily harm”, the LAPD told DailyMail.com.

The second incident occurred around 15 to 20 minutes later when a woman was pushed into her apartment. The suspect fled when she screamed, police said, according to ABC7.

The first assault was filmed on a home security camera, showing the man and the woman walking into the garage, out of view. The woman can then be seen running away, with the man appearing in view of the camera after she has left.

“It sounds like he basically followed the female in. It was unlocked and he was able to enter in through the unlocked [door],” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told DailyMail.com.

Police have described the man, who they suspect is homeless, as being in his early 30s and that he was wearing dark clothes and carrying a bag at the time of the assaults.

The first incident took place about a mile from where Brianna Kupfer, a 24-year-old a furniture store employee, was killed in an unprovoked attack last month.

The suspect, Shawn Laval Smith, 31, was out on bail when he allegedly stabbed Ms Kupfer in the fatal attack.

Murders rose by 52 per cent in Los Angeles between 2019 and 2021. According to LAPD data, shooting incidents rose by 59 per cent.

“We need to champion [my daughter] as a beacon of what’s wrong and make sure that people recognise that – because it could be their children next, and it’s just an impossible price to pay,” Ms Kupfer’s father told Fox News last month.