Homeless man charged with sexually assaulting 4 women in West L.A. and Santa Monica

A homeless man has been charged with sexually assaulting four women in a string of attacks across the Westside, Los Angeles County prosecutors said.

Pablo Carlos Pineda, 32, is accused of attacking a woman Jan. 13 on the beach in Santa Monica, according to the district attorney’s office.

The victim reported that she was walking near the waterline about 6:15 p.m. when a man walked by, grabbed her and slammed her to the ground, according to a police statement earlier this year.

“The suspect held the victim down while he physically and sexually assaulted her,” police said at the time.

Another rape that Pineda is suspected of committing occurred about three weeks later near the beach in Santa Monica, police said.

A third attack occurred April 15 in Beverly Hills, where a woman was beaten with a brick, Deputy Dist. Atty. Oksana Sigal said.

The most recent attack occurred July 2. In that incident, Pineda is accused of kidnapping and raping a woman in the Sawtelle neighborhood, authorities said.

The string of attacks were publicized by police in Santa Monica and L.A., with a sketch of the suspect in the January assault released to the public.

Following an investigation led by the Santa Monica Police Department, authorities arrested Pineda on Tuesday in MacArthur Park, just west of downtown L.A.

The criminal complaint charges Pineda with three counts of forcible rape as well as two counts each of kidnapping, assault with intent to commit a sex crime and robbery. Prosecutors also charged him with one count of assault with a deadly weapon in the Beverly Hills attack.

If convicted, Pineda faces up to 25 years to life in state prison.

Prosecutors have asked the court to set bail at $2.63 million.

An attorney representing Pineda could not be reached for comment.

For more news in California, follow @MattHjourno.

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