Security footage showing a Los Angeles man luring a 14-year-old girl to a bathroom where he sexually assaulted her has helped LAPD officers locate and arrest the suspect. 27-year-old Edward William Banks was apprehended on Tuesday night thanks to the help of several tipsters who assisted in tracking down his whereabouts following the release of surveillance video showing him right before he’s alleged to have committed the despicable act.
Banks, who is being held on $1 million bail, is said to have crossed paths with his young victim at a park in El Sereno on Monday afternoon, according to ABC 7. Banks allegedly threatened the teen with a weapon if she didn’t follow his orders and then instructed her to follow him into a bathroom, where he sexually assaulted the youngster.
Suspect in Los Angeles sexual assault of teen girl arrested after kidnapping caught on video, police say https://t.co/t7SZvYstYs
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 12, 2022
In the security footage that has since been released to the public, Banks can be seen forcefully holding his arm around the teen as they walk down a street together. The suspect, according to the police report, fled the scene soon after, but it didn’t even take cops more than a day to capture him. The case will be taken to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Banks has been booked for aggravated kidnapping to commit rape while an investigation is underway before the suspect will face a judge to answer for his alleged crime.
It was only after cops had publicized the security footage on Monday via the LAPD’s official YouTube page that they were able to identify and track the suspect in such a quick manner. In the video description, the police department wrote, “The Los Angeles Police Department’s Juvenile Division, Abused Child Section detectives are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect responsible for Kidnap Sexual Assault.”
The victim’s identity has been redacted. Cases concerning aggravated crimes have been on a rapid rise in Los Angeles, with a recent study revealing that there’d been a 21% spike in aggravated assaults while another 22% derive from an increased amount in robberies.