What:
Press Conference

When:
Tuesday, Mayl 1, 2001 at 12:00 noon

Where:
Wilshire Community Police Station (Community Room), 4861 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles

Who:
Captain Albanese, Wilshire Area Commanding Officer and Detective Sandefur, Wilshire Sex Crimes Unit

Los Angeles - On Tuesday, May 1, 2001, at 12:00 noon, Wilshire Area Detectives will be conducting a press conference at Wilshire Community Police Station regarding a sexual predator who is in custody.

On three separate occasions the suspect has approached young Hispanic Females walking home from school and attempted to drag the girls into his vehicle. On April 18, 2001, officers who passed by during the commission of the second crime arrested the suspect. One of the victims was attacked in Southwest Area, one in Wilshire Area and the other in 77^th Street Area. The suspect stalked one victim for three weeks prior to attacking her. The suspect was a stranger to all of the victims.

The suspect, Dennis Hezekiah, is a male, Black, 5'09", 220 lbs., 34 years old, lives in the City of Inglewood, and works in the South Central area. It was reported to detectives that the suspect used two different cars while committing the crimes, a 1989 white Honda Civic, and a 1998 white Pontiac van.

On Tuesday, May 1, 2001, Wilshire Detectives will be releasing this information to the public. Detectives urge that anyone who has recently been attacked by a male, Black with similar descriptors as above to contact Detective Sandefur, Wilshire Sex Crime Unit, at 213-847-3994.

This press release was prepared by Officer Hayley Purece, Media Relations Section at 213-485-3586.