LAPD arrests serial sexual assault suspect outside UCLA Medical Center
The Los Angeles Police Department arrested a serial sexual assault suspect near the UCLA Medical Center after a nearly two-hour pursuit Thursday night.
RELATED: Fugitive wanted in 1989 Massachusetts rapes arrested after long chase in Los Angeles
The suspect was identified by the U.S. Marshals as Stephen Paul Gale, 71, who was wanted for aggravated rape. In May, investigators in Middlesex County, Massachusetts linked him to the rape of two women, ages 18 and 29, while they were working at a store in the area in 1989. The break in the cold cases came through the use of genetic genealogy with DNA evidence.
On Thursday, the pursuit started within the department's Harbor Division, which oversees the areas near the Port of Los Angeles. The suspect traveled north towards Westchester using a few freeways, mainly the I-405.
He stayed near the LAX area, often using surface streets to drive around Westchester and Inglewood.
As many as seven LAPD patrol cars could be seen following behind the suspect as they continued to lead the slow-speed chase.
Officers with the California Highway Patrol reported that the suspect was wanted for rape in Boston, Massachusetts.
It's unclear if the suspect was armed.
After circling the LAX area for nearly 40 minutes, officers tried to end the pursuit with a PIT maneuver, but to no avail.
Gale drove around the city slowly, eventually going to the UCLA Medical Center. He got trapped in traffic and surrendered to police after a brief standoff.
