Officials allege Eduardo Sarabia, 40, picked up two women in a white van between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. May 12 and May 13 and drove them into the Angeles National Forest.
On May 12, he allegedly drove one of the victims to a secluded area in the forest where he raped her, the district attorney’s office said.
He is also suspected of picking up a second victim the next night and driving her to the same location, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her, officials reported.
According to the news outlet, one woman escaped from the van in a remote area in the San Gabriel Mountains during the alleged incident Monday, leading deputies to arrest Mr. Sarabia.
Sources told FOX 11 the suspect would pick up his victims at the El Monte train station.
The white Ford van allegedly used in the incidents is now in sheriff’s custody.
A sheriff’s department spokeswoman refused to confirm the suspect’s residency to The Epoch Times, saying it was against the law. A request for the information from the district attorney’s office was not returned on deadline.
Mr. Sarabia was arrested May 13 by the sheriff’s department. He remained in custody Friday at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles and is being held without bail, according to inmate records.
His arraignment is scheduled for June 27 at the Pomona Courthouse.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison.
“The horrific and violent sexual assault that these two survivors endured by the alleged suspect is deeply troubling and incomprehensible,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a press release Thursday.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department detectives are continuing to investigate the case and encourage any other victims to contact them.
