Anonymous Call Led Police to Valley Serial Rape Suspect : After Arrest of Man at a San Francisco Motel More Potential Victims Have Come Forward

An anonymous tip and a phone number on a pager led Los Angeles police to a man they suspect is the serial rapist who terrorized at least four women in the San Fernando Valley since Dec. 22.

The arrest of 27-year-old Jose Zarate, who was found at a Comfort Inn motel on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco at 2:15 a.m. Thursday, has already prompted calls from more potential victims, police said Friday as they outlined Zarate’s capture.

“This was a coordinated effort between media, police and community,” said LAPD Sgt. Willie Guerrero, after a Friday morning news conference.

Following another press conference about the recent rapes Wednesday, an anonymous caller told police where to find a stolen blue 1996 Dodge Neon sought in connection with the rapes. The caller also told them they could find Zarate at a Lombard Street Travelodge in San Francisco, said LAPD Det. Mike Buttitta.

When police arrived at the motel and entered Zarate’s room late Wednesday night they found a couple who said they did not know the suspected rapist, Buttitta continued. The couple became more cooperative after police searched the room and found methamphetamine, Zarate’s travel bag and items that may belong to one or more of the rape victims, Buttitta said.

With information gleaned from the Travelodge room police went to a residence in nearby Hayward, where they found a pager with the number of a Comfort Inn not far from the Travelodge. There police arrested Zarate, who was found with a small amount of methamphetamine and a semiautomatic pellet gun.

Buttitta said Zarate matches a composite sketch made with the assistance of the victims, who identified Zarate in a photo lineup. He is being held in San Francisco for violating his parole. Police would not say why he was on parole or if he had ever been convicted of sexual assault. Buttitta said police are receiving calls from other possible victims and that the case is still under investigation. Police are preparing to file felony rape charges next week.

Since Dec. 22 police have been looking for a serial rapist who assaulted at least four women. Buttitta said all the attacks involved lone women traveling in the Valley in the early morning hours. He also said the attacker generally surprised the women from behind, led them to his car, drove to another location and raped them at gunpoint before releasing them.

One hour after Zarate’s arrest, in what police are calling an unrelated but strikingly similar crime, a woman was kidnapped and raped. The victim was waiting at a red light at Hayvenhurst Avenue and Roscoe Boulevard when a man hijacked her unlocked car and drove her to the 17000 block of Saticoy Street in Van Nuys, where he raped her before tossing her naked from her car. The woman called the police from a nearby residence and gave them a vehicle description. Police chased the attacker after they recognized the vehicle, but lost him when the suspect abandoned the car and sprinted into an apartment complex, losing his shoes in the process.

In remarks apparently referring to the Saticoy Street rapist, Buttitta said women traveling at night should be careful to travel in well-lit, public places and to lock their doors when driving.

“Just because we’ve arrested a serial suspect doesn’t mean we should let down our guard,” Buttitta said. “Other predators may still be out there.”