Suspect identified in stabbing incident
By Brooke Olson
and Patrick Marantal
Daily Bruin Staff
After a two-week silence, West Los Angeles Police have shifted
strategies in their search for a man wanted in the brutal attacks
of three women, including one UCLA student. Police released a
description of the alleged attacker to the public Tuesday in hopes
it will help locate the elusive suspect.
Jose Nelson Flores,a 29-year-old male Latino, is wanted for
allegedly stabbing two women and attempting to rape a third on the
morning of Jan. 27 at an apartment in the 400 block of Midvale
Avenue, police said.
Flores is still at large and is believed to be in the Los
Angeles area, police said. Police consider him to be armed and
dangerous.
Investigators described the suspect as an El Salvadoran male,
5-feet-7-inches and 157 pounds. He has brown eyes and a scar over
his left eyebrow. He was last known to reside in the Culver City
area.
West Los Angeles police have issued a felony warrant for his
arrest.
Flores is charged with three counts of assault with a deadly
weapon, two counts of mayhem, one count of attempted mayhem,
attempted rape and residential burglary – all felony charges.
"(Flores) is a vicious individual with very little regard for
human life," said West Los Angeles Police Detective Ron Phillips in
a press conference held Tuesday afternoon.
Flores allegedly forced his way into the womens’ vacant
apartment and hid in the shower.
When the women returned, police believe Flores stabbed one
victim in the neck after she had entered the bathroom. He then
moved into the hallway, stabbed the second victim in the neck and
assaulted and attempted to rape a third female in the living room,
investigators said.
He left the area when the womens’ screams began attracting the
neighbors’ attention, Phillips said.
All three women were treated for substantial knife and assault
injuries at the UCLA Medical Center and released within a few days
after the incident.
All three women have positively identified Flores through a
series of mug shots, police said.
Detectives said Flores had no connection to the women, although
he had worked in the Westwood area.
"He’s known as a handyman in this area and that’s what he seeks
employment as," Phillips said.
Police also stressed that Flores was in no way connected to
UCLA.
"He has no university affiliation, and has never been a student
nor a faculty member," said university police Sgt. James
Vandenberg.
Ironically, Flores was arrested one week prior to the stabbings
in an unrelated incident.
On Jan. 19, he was cited and released for driving with a
suspended license, lying to a police officer and concealing his
criminal record, according to police.
Because the charges were misdemeanors, Flores was not detained
in the Los Angeles County jail, detectives said.
Instead, he was released and police said an arraignment date for
the charges was set for Feb. 20. Vandenberg said it is "unlikely he
would appear" in court.
Flores has had numerous run-ins with the law. Since 1990, he has
been arrested over 20 times and charged with everything from
misdemeanors to felonies, including physical spousal abuse, police
said.
"This man should not be on the streets," Vandenberg said. "He
has been in and out of jail since 1990."
A motion was introduced to the City Council yesterday to offer a
$25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Flores,
Phillips said.
If you have any information about Flores, call West Los Angeles
detectives at (310) 575-8441.
With reports from John Digrado.
UC Police Dept. Photo
Jose Nelson Flores
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