A woman recalls the terrifying moment she spotted a peeping Tom staring at her and exposing himself through the window of her West Los Angeles apartment.
The male suspect, who remains at large, has reportedly been exposing himself to women in Mid-City, West Hollywood and West L.A., according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The suspect has targeted victims in several neighborhoods from January to March.
“He was full-on like this. A straight-up peeping Tom,” a female victim who did not wish to be identified recalled of the suspect looking into her home. “He would step back. Then he tried to open this [window] and tried to open that window.”
The woman said she discovered the man creeping on her property and exposing himself on two separate occasions. The first incident happened on March 1 in the middle of the night.
“The first night when I looked in the window and screamed, I thought his movement was him running away,” the woman recalled. “But now when I see the footage, he was not running away. He was quite literally getting off on the fact that I saw him and shouted at him.”
Just as she thought the nightmare was over, the man returned to her home a second time.
“The second time he came back, the sun was up,” she recalled. “People were walking by. So it’s truly just scary. That’s the only word I can think of.”
In the second incident, the suspect slept in the woman’s unlocked car before trying to open the door and windows to her apartment. That’s when she confronted the man and was able to scare him off.
“When I had a face-to-face interaction with him right here on the porch,” she said. “He was definitely shaken up. He literally said, ‘Sorry’ and he hasn’t been back since.”
Investigators believe the man is not homeless and has been driving to various locations to target unsuspecting victims.
He’s believed to be responsible for a Jan. 28 incident on the 800 block of North Croft Avenue in West Hollywood shortly after midnight.
During that incident, he reportedly made crude comments to a woman and exposed himself to her before following her home only to stare at her through her windows, police said.
“He was sitting and leaning against the tree in our yard staring directly at me which freaked me out,” the victim recalled.
On March 2, he allegedly repeated similar behaviors on the 5700 block of West 6th Street in Mid-Wilshire and on the 1200 block of Armacost Avenue in Brentwood.
The West Hollywood victim said she spotted a man lurking in her yard again last week, but wasn’t sure if it was the same man.
Overall, the woman said the incident has left her shaken.
“It was very concerning,” she said.
Neighbors in the area were disturbed to hear of the incidents and have been on high alert while the man remains at large.
“It’s definitely scary and I think something no one wants in their neighborhood,” said Kate Landry, a West L.A. resident. “It’s probably more concerning for people who have kids who go to school right here.”
“It gives me chills honestly,” said the West L.A. victim. “I really still get shaken up when I have to look at the pictures [of the suspect]. “It is truly violating and disgusting, especially seeing the footage that my apartment got.”
Suspect photos and security video of the incidents were released by authorities in hopes someone may recognize the suspect.
“The end goal is to get this guy caught and have justice served, whatever that looks like for him,” said the West L.A. victim.
The suspect is described as a white or Hispanic man around 40 or 50 years old standing about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing around 180 pounds. He has dark or graying hair, a dark mustache and brown eyes.
LAPD has increased patrol units in the areas where the man was seen and has also alerted nearby law enforcement agencies.
“When you’re at home, you should be thinking about comfort and relaxation, not this lewd conduct,” said LAPD Detective Brent Hopkins. “The community is our most valuable ally and source of information. Someone out there knows who this guy is and can help us put an end to this disturbing behavior.”
Anyone who recognizes the suspect or has additional information is asked to call LAPD Detective Hopkins at 213-473-0447 or email at 39343@lapd.online.
Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.