Metro sexual assault suspect to appear in court after felony charges filed in Culver City attack

A man suspected of sexually assaulting a woman at LA Metro's Culver City station earlier this week is expected to appear in court Friday on felony charges filed in connection with the attack.

Roderick Moore, 27, is facing one count of assault with the intent to commit a felony "with the intent to commit rape, sodomy, oral copulation" and one count of forcible oral copulation in connection with the assault reported early Sunday morning, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

He was initially expected to appear in court Thursday but his arraignment was delayed until Friday.

On Sunday, deputies arrested Moore at 4:23 a.m. and he continues to be held on $210,000 bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles, according to county inmate records. 

The LA County Sheriff's Department has said the victim was attacked at the Culver City station. 

However, a statement later released by County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who's chair of the LA Metro Board, said the woman was riding the E Line Metro train when she was assaulted near the station. She used the train's emergency phone to call the train's operator, according to the statement, and the operator stopped the ride, searched for the victim and suspect and then stayed with them while calling law enforcement. Deputies arrived minutes later and arrested Moore.

"I am so thankful for this brave train operator who took action when one of their passengers needed help," Hahn said in the statement. "But once again, we're reminded that we urgently need to prevent violent crime in our system, not simply respond to it."

Destiny Pickett, who rides the Metro, said the Sunday attack left her worried.

"As a woman, it is concerning because it can happen to anyone," Pickett said. "And it's very unfortunate because the aftermath is just very traumatizing."

Investigators believe there could be other possible victims of Moore and have called for anyone else to come forward.

"Based on the nature of the allegations, detectives believe there may be additional unidentified victims," the LA County Sheriff's Department said in a statement Wednesday. "Detectives are seeking the public's help in identifying any such victims."

There were 30 sexual battery cases reported at LA Metro stations or aboard its buses and trains between January and May, according to data from the transit agency. Metro's monthly crime reports do not have a category for sexual assault crimes, only sexual battery or sexual harassment, and information about crimes past the month of May has not been released.

The transit agency's stations, buses, and trains have been the site of a streak of violent crimes this year. In just the first six months of 2024, there were four attacks on buses and trains that resulted in a passenger's death, according to law enforcement reports.

Earlier this week, a man pushed a woman onto the Metro train tracks near Pasadena before throwing her over a cement divider and into the carpool lane of the 210 Freeway. Disturbing video of the attack surfaced following the filing of an attempted murder charge against the suspect. 

This week, a passenger on a bus in San Pedro choked the driver, who managed to call authorities with a silent alarm, police said.

LA Metro leaders have promised to make changes like installing plastic protective barriers around bus drivers' seats, establishing full cellphone service on rides and inside all stations and assigning more law enforcement officers and security guards to ride and patrol buses and trains. In May, Mayor Karen Bass announced a "surge" in the deployment of these officers.

Following the attack this week, Hahn said having these officers actually aboard the buses and trains is crucial.

"I want our uniformed law enforcement officers assigned to Metro and our transit security officers to be riding our buses and trains, not waiting at stations or in their cars to respond once a crime has been committed," she said in a statement.

Anyone with information about the assault on Sunday is asked to reach the LA County Sheriff's Department's Special Victims Bureau at 877-710-5273 or email specialvictimsbureau@lasd.org. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call LA Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit lacrimestoppers.org.