Suspect sought in rape

Jenifer Ragland

COSTA MESA -- Police are looking for a man suspected of raping a

26-year-old Costa Mesa woman Thursday night while she was walking home

from work near Harbor Boulevard and West Bay Street.

The suspect is described as 35-year-old white male, 5 feet, 10-inches

tall and 180 pounds, with a buzz haircut and a three-day growth beard. He

was last seen wearing a black plaid jacket, a black T-shirt and

bluejeans.

The woman was walking north on Harbor at about 10:30 p.m. Thursday

when the suspect approached her, threatened her with a knife and forced

her into his nearby car, according to police reports.

He then drove her to the parking lot of an apartment complex in the

2000 block of Maple Street and raped her inside the car, police said. The

suspect then fled the scene in his car, which is described as green and

looking similar to a two-door Honda Del Sol.

Lt. Les Gogerty said a composite of the suspect had not been completed

by Friday afternoon, so he didn’t know if posters would be put up during

the weekend.

Patrol officers have been briefed on the description of the suspect

and his vehicle and will be on the lookout for him, Gogerty said.

The last rape reported in Costa Mesa was in February, when a woman in

her late 20s was attacked while on an early morning walk in Fairview

Park. Her assailant, who has not yet been found, reportedly dragged her

into a clump of grass and raped her.

Authorities warned women to be aware of their surroundings and

discourage them from walking alone in dimly lit areas.