Man accused of sexual assault used public transportation to prey on victims, CA cops say
.jpg "A man has been arrested in the sexual assault of a woman who was followed from a public transportation station in California nearly a month ago, officials said.")
A day after a man had sexual assault charges against him dropped, he was arrested in the attempted rape of another woman, police in California said.
Eric Hicks, 35, was arrested on July 11 on suspicion of attempted rape stemming from a June 20 incident, according to a news release from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Police said they believe Hicks used public transportation to prey on his victims.
More recently, Hicks was accused of grabbing a juvenile getting off the Red Line train at Union Station from behind on an escalator on July 7, police said. The victim was able to notify a nearby security guard who called police. But when Hicks appeared in court on July 10, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office rejected the case, police said.
On July 11, Hicks was arrested in the June 20 attempted rape case. Hicks is accused of following the woman from the Crenshaw/Expo Metro station, tackling her into the bushes and sexually assaulting her. A bicyclist riding by called police after the “victim repeatedly yelled for help.”
Hicks is being held on $3.3 million bail and is expected to appear in court on Aug. 11, according to jail records.
Police believe there may be additional victims and ask anyone with information to contact LAPD’s Southwest Sexual Assault Section at 323-290-2976.
