A man was arrested on suspicion of trying to rape and kidnap a woman in an alley along Fourth Street early Sunday morning, according to Long Beach police.
Police said the attack happened around 6:30 a.m. in the 1900 block of East Fourth Street, which is just west of Cherry Avenue.
A woman there told police that a man she did not know had tried to sexually assault her and then took off in a car, Long Beach police spokeswoman Arantxa Chavarria said.
Officers pulled over a nearby car that matched the description she gave them and determined the man inside was the attacker, according to Chavarria.
Police identified him as Edward Maez, a 57-year-old Montebello resident. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted rape, sexual battery, sexual penetration and kidnapping, Chavarria said.
He was being held at Long Beach Jail in lieu of $1 million bail, according to jail records. Police said they’re still investigating the case.
Jail records show Maez was arrested by Long Beach police earlier this month on suspicion of robbery. They took him into custody on Oct. 8 on Pacific Coast Highway near Lemon Avenue. He was released later that day on $50,000 bail, according to jail records.
He’s facing charges including theft and assault with the intent to commit a felony in that case, according to court records.