Los Angeles carjacking suspect who allegedly targeted 3 women arrested by police
The man who was wanted as a suspect in three recent alleged attempted carjackings, targeting women, has been arrested, Los Angeles police announced Thursday afternoon.
The suspect, identified as 49-year-old Maurice Latorre, was considered by police as "violent and dangerous," and a nurse at a hospital recognized him as he was a patient, and alerted police.
The string of alleged car-jacking attempts happened on Saturday within hours of each other. The first occurred at a Lincoln Heights gas station as a woman was pumping gas and Latorre allegedly forced his way into the driver's side of the car and after briefly struggling with the woman, he ran off.
Three hours later in a Boyle Heights parking lot, following a brief struggle, Latorre allegedly smashed the driver's window of a car while a woman and her family drove away.
At another gas station a short distance away, the final carjacking attempt of the day escalated.
In a security camera video taken at the time of the attack, Latorre is seen staring at the woman while she fueled up. Once she finished and tried to get into her driver's seat, Latorre allegedly ripped open the door and pulled her out onto the ground. He continued to attack her until a passerby pulled him off the woman. He left on a silver bicycle.
During a Thursday morning news conference with updated information on the case, police surprisingly announced at the end of the briefing that they just arrested Latorre.
Police said Latorre was possibly homeless and was arrested at a hospital, as he was being treated for a mental episode. Since the release of the surveillance videos showing the suspect in the attempted carjackings, a nurse recognized Latorre and called the police.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney charged him with three counts of attempted carjacking. He faces a maximum of 12 years and four months in prison.
"We condemn these violent acts targeting individuals simply going about their daily lives and remain committed to removing dangerous offenders from our streets," District Attorney George Gascón said.
Latorre has a lengthy criminal record, with four prior arrests in the last 14 months, and was referred to a state hospital two times after those arrests. His rap sheet dates back to 1992.
