Police Search For Man Accused Of Raping 15-Year-Old Girl In North Hills
NORTH HILLS (CBSLA.com) — A 15-year-old girl is warning her neighbors to remain vigilant after she says she was attacked and raped by a man in North Hills last week.
The high school sophomore, who asked to remain anonymous, says she was chased down on Nov. 22 as she was riding her scooter home from a North Hills fast food restaurant.
"We stopped in a dark place and that's when he said, "Can you see this?" she recalled.
That's when the attacker showed her his gun and then forced himself on her near the corner of Nordhoff St. and Lemona Ave., she said.
"I was scared and I felt like I was going to die," she said. "He was going to shoot me."
The teenager managed to escape, but was traumatized by the events.
She's speaking about the attack in the hopes of protecting her neighbors.
"We don't want this happening to somebody else, which is why we wanted the media to know. Somebody needs to know," said Aida Medina, a family friend.
The girl says she got a good look at her attacker, describing him as Hispanic, in his early 20's, with two distinct tattoos.
One of the tattoos is of red lips on his neck and the other is three dots below his eye. She says he also told her his gang name is Pelón, which is Spanish for "bald."
Police said they are investigating.
The teen says she is now struggling with shame.
"I can't sleep and sometimes I feel like I don't want to eat or go out because I feel like people will laugh at me," she said.