Brandon Saunders Arrested In Alleged Rape At Loch Raven High School Parking Lot, May Be Linked To More Cases, Police Say
BALTIMORE/BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) -- Police have arrested a Baltimore man who they say raped a woman whom he offered to give a ride last year.
Police arrested Brandon Saunders, 29, of the 3900 block of Eierman Avenue, on Wednesday at his home without incident. The arrest came exactly one year after the assault, which happened in the parking lot of Loch Raven High School, according to police.
On July 28, 2019, the victim told police that she was in Baltimore City and needed a ride to a family member's house after she had an argument with a friend.
She had been waiting for a bus when the suspect offered to take her where she needed to go, according to police.
The victim told police she noticed the suspect wasn't traveling in the right direction. When the victim asked the suspect where they were going, he allegedly assaulted her inside the car.
Police say Saunders drove the victim to a secluded parking lot behind Loch Raven High School where he raped and attacked her.
"The victim realized, after she got in the car, that they weren't going in the direction that she had asked," Sergeant Vickie Warehime, Director of the Public Affairs Section for the Baltimore County Police Department, said.
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The victim told police Saunders threatened to kill her and that she lost consciousness during the attack.
She was able to escape and ran toward I-695. A passerby saw the victim walking along the shoulder of I-695 disheveled and bloodied from the alleged attack and called 911.
During the investigation, detectives realized Saunders lived in Baltimore City. The detectives reached out to Baltimore City detectives, and they started looking at similarities in other rape cases. A common thread linked suspect Saunders to another rape in Baltimore City.
"Once the detectives started narrowing down who the suspect was, they realized the suspect lived in Baltimore City," Sergeant Warehime said. "They instantly reached out to their detectives."
Saunders is charged with first-degree rape and first-degree assault and is currently being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center on $200,000 bail.
In addition, Baltimore City police have an arrest warrant for Saunders based on a collaborative investigation for an alleged rape that occurred in Baltimore City in October 2019. Saunders has a $20,000 bail in that case.
Both Baltimore County and Baltimore City detectives believe there may be more victims and have released the booking photo along with the vehicles that belong to suspect Saunders.
Police have released a photo and stock photos of the vehicles that Saunders allegedly drove.
If you or anyone you know has more information on this case or others, you are asked to contact Baltimore County Police at 410-307-2020 or Baltimore City detectives at 410-396-2076.
