A Long Beach man was sentenced to 51 years in state prison and ordered to register as a lifetime sex offender for raping a woman and assaulting another in 2014, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced today.

Raymond Demetrius Howard, 22, pleaded no contest to three felony counts, including forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and assault with intent to commit a felony, the district attorney’s office stated.

Howard admitted to committing great bodily injury on both victims, a special allegation, authorities stated. He also admitted to using a deadly and dangerous weapon during the first attack and personally using a firearm during the commission of the second offense.

On June 18, 2014, Howard met a woman at Signal Hill Park and tried to rape her, said Deputy District Attorney Kelly Kelley of the Victim Impact Program. Kelley said that although the victim was physically assaulted, she fought back and escaped.

“Less than two weeks later, Howard followed a woman from a bus stop into an alley where he beat her, forcibly raped her and forced her to orally copulate him,” a release stated. “When a car drove by, the victim broke free from Howard and ran to a nearby gas station.”

The brutal attacks led to a joint investigation by several law enforcement agencies who were able to identify Howard as the suspect, according to the release.

Howard was arrested at his home on July 3, 2014 and charged in connection with the attacks. The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) investigated the case.