A man has been arrested in the sexual assault of a woman in North Hollywood walking home from the gym, and police are looking for more possible victims, officials said.
On July 19 around 8:30 p.m., the woman was walking home from the gym on the bridge at Laurel Grove Avenue and Valleyheart Drive when a man approached her from behind, grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to the ground, according to a Los Angeles Police Department news release.
The man sexually assaulted her with a foreign object, according to the LAPD. Witnesses interrupted the assault and he fled.
North Hollywood canvassed around 50 businesses to try to find surveillance footage and investigative leads, police said. Authorities released a community alert flier on July 29 and got multiple tips that led to identifying the suspect, 27-year-old Rodrigo Melgar, on Friday.
On Monday around 10 a.m., the LAPD served a search warrant and arrested Melgar on Burbank Boulevard west of Topanga Canyon Boulevard, according to LAPD. He was booked on suspicion of sexual penetration with a foreign object.
Detectives with the LAPD believe there could be more victims or witnesses. Melgar allegedly used public transit on local bus routes as his primary means of transportation.
“This arrest is the result of outstanding detective work, relentless determination, and the strong partnership between our investigators, the media, and the community,” LAPD Lt. Monique Valenzuela said in a prepared statement. “Our detectives never stopped pursuing every lead, and every tip we received brought us one step closer to identifying and apprehending this violent offender.”