Man Charged With Assault After Targeting Women In Random Silver Lake Attacks

A woman says a man sneaked up behind her, pushed her into her car and groped her in a frightening attack in Silver Lake last week, and that she was one of three women he targeted that same day.

A suspect in the case, Jonathan Ramirez, 30, was arraigned Friday and charged in two of the cases. He was charged with two counts of assault with the potential to commit rape, Jane Robinson, spokesperson for the L.A. County District Attorney's Office told LAist.

One of the victims told LAist that the attack took place around 10:30 p.m. on August 26. She was getting into her car in the Bank of America parking lot located on the intersection of Glendale and Silver Lake boulevards, just down the street from the popular Cha Cha Lounge. A man wearing a bandana over his face sneaked up behind her, put his hand over her mouth, pushed her into her car, and groped her, putting his hand under her shirt.

"I thought he was going to kill me," she said.

She screamed and fought back, scaring off her attacker who took off and ran. She flagged down about four or five bystanders who helped chase down and restrain the man before contacting police.

An LAPD patrol car arrived at the scene. Then a second cruiser also arrived, this one carrying a passenger—another victim who said she was attacked by the same man earlier that night by the Silver Lake Reservoir, which is just a little over a mile from the Bank of America. The other victim identified Ramirez, the alleged attacker, at the scene, and police arrested him there.

LAPD Northeast Division Detective Art Espino told The Eastsider that the attacker targeted two other women at the Silver Lake Reservoir earlier that day. One of the incidents took place a little after 9 p.m., when the suspect startled a woman who was getting out of her car, which was parked near the reservoir. He fled, and then allegedly attacked a jogger at the reservoir, groping her before fleeing when she fought him and screamed.

LAPD Officer Drake Madison told LAist that he was aware that two of the attacks took place within 20 minutes of each other, and that in both cases Ramirez allegedly "pinned these women down, not allowing them to leave."

Madison said Ramirez is still in custody and is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail. He's expected in court for a preliminary hearing on September 10, the DA says.

The victim described Ramirez as Hispanic with medium-length hair, "like a bob." Records show that he is 5'5" and weighs 160 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.