A 14-year-old girl was raped at knifepoint in California by a homeless man who lured her into a garage with another suspect, police said.
Robert Nunez, 42, was arrested early Monday by Bell Gardens police days after the teen victim told cops she was coerced into a residential garage and tied up by two men before one of them raped her at knifepoint.
“Since learning of this horrific crime, BGPD officers and detectives have been working tirelessly to identify and locate the suspects,” department officials said in a statement Saturday.
Jaomir Perez, 41, was taken into custody Thursday for allegedly tying up the girl prior to the attack. Bell Gardens police Lt. Dano Neslen declined to indicate whether he lives at the home, but said cops do not consider Perez to be a transient like Nunez.
An anonymous tipster who spotted Nunez, who was considered armed and dangerous, called cops after seeing his tattooed face in a photo released by police, Neslen said.
The victim did not know either Nunez or Perez, Neslen said, adding that he was limited on the information he could release Monday.
“This is ongoing,” Neslen said. “Investigators are still working through it even though [Nunez] is in custody.”
Nunez was picked up by cops early Monday in Long Beach, where he was found near Long Beach Boulevard and the 710 Freeway. He tried to run away, but was quickly taken into custody, police said in a statement Monday.
“Once captured, officers saw that Mr. Nunez had his distinctive facial tattoo covered by a bandage in attempt to conceal his identity,” police said
Perez, who remained held on $50,000 bond, was arrested last week after a search warrant was served at a Bell Gardens home in the 5800 block of Gage Avenue, the Los Angeles Times reported.