This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
LAPD detectives have released photos of 22-year-old Keith Nichols, a South Los Angeles man they believe has committed "at least four sexual battery assaults against young women while posing as a Vibe Magazine photographer," according to a press release.Women have reported that Nichols has approached them under the pretense of getting work as models for Vibe, and during the course of consultation the women endured personal examinations during which Nichols measured their intimate areas for “custom-fitted underwear.” These meetings "often occurred spontaneously in secluded, public places, where Nichols used a measuring tape as a prop. While none of the woman recalled him taking photographs, Nichols did touch the women’s bare breasts and groins with his hands."
While the crimes are only considered misdemeanors, the LAPD want young women to be aware of Nichols' ruse, and to avoid the pitfalls of being lured by the possibility of securing modeling work. Captain Blake Chow, commanding officer of Central Police Station, wants women who use the Blue Line between Long Beach and Los Angeles to be particularly on alert, since in at least two instances that's where Nichols met the women he allegedly assaulted. Nichols is described as 5'11" and 140 lbs. He may work as a security guard, and has had addresses in Compton, Hawthorne, and South L.A.
