San Diego police have arrested David Angelo Drake II, 23, and charged him with 19 counts of sexual battery and assault in connection with a series of attacks of six women in North Park that began on June 11.
Drake was arrested by detectives from the sex-crimes unit and booked into jail at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said at a press conference.
Police Lt. Sandy Albrektsen said Mid-City officers and sex-crime detectives, acting on a tip, arrested Drake at 7 p.m. Monday at Washington Street and 5th Avenue in Hillcrest. The key tip came in after a surveillance video of a man thought to be the suspect was released publicly on Aug. 29, the lieutenant said.
Drake was booked into the San Diego Central Jail on six counts of assault with a deadly weapon, six counts assault with intent to commit a felony, five counts of battery with serious injury and two counts of sexual assault with a foreign object, Albrektson said. His bail is set at $855,000. He will be arraigned Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
“Getting this predator off our streets is great news,” San Diego City Council President Todd Gloria said at the news conference. “We will have justice for the victims of these brutal assaults.”
Six women reported being attacked in the North Park neighborhood this summer.
The most recent attack happened about 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 28. A man knocked a woman to the ground and punched her in the face in an alley off the 3900 block of Idaho Street, according to San Diego police. The suspect ran off when the woman screamed and several witnesses came to her aid.
Drake is African-American, 6-feet-4 and weighs 180 pounds, according to his booking sheet. Few details are available on Drake's background, though Albrektsen said he had "one minor case" on his record.
Chief Zimmerman lauded the efforts of police and citizens alike.
"This was a great result of working together with our community to help solve and prevent crime," she said.
The first attack in the series was reported on June 11 in the 3900 block of 33rd Street, police said.
Attempted sexual assaults on Meade Avenue near 33rd Street and on Lincoln Avenue near Oregon Street were reported on June 17 and June 21, respectively, according to police.
On July 20, a woman was attacked from behind and lost consciousness in the 2900 block of Lincoln Avenue, police said. Detectives said that assault was similar to another incident a month before and a block away.
North Park residents attended several meetings with police regarding the attacks and police officials and Gloria praised their efforts extensively in announcing the arrest of Drake.
City News Service contributed to this report.
