Man Charged with Attacking Five Women at UCLA in Under an Hour

Prosecutors in Los Angeles have filed numerous felony charges against a man who allegedly attacked five women, including four students, on the UCLA campus within the span of an hour last week. Olumuyiwa Akindahunsi, 29, is accused of one count of kidnapping to commit rape, two counts of assault likely to produce great bodily injury, and three counts of assault with intent to commit rape during the commission of a first-degree burglary, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The case was filed on Tuesday, June 2. He has yet to enter a plea.

Akindahunsi was not a student at the university and did not have permission to be on campus at the time of the crimes, which occurred in the Westwood neighborhood, prosecutors said in a written statement. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman described the "disturbing" series of attacks as striking "at the core of campus safety, traumatizing five victims and unsettling campus life."

Investigators recovered evidence believed to be associated with the attacks, including zip ties and duct tape. "We are working closely with the UCLA Police Department to bring the attacker to justice and ensure that he will be held fully accountable for his actions," Hochman said.

"Our swift actions should send a powerful deterrent message to anyone thinking of coming onto a college campus to harm anyone that they will be arrested, prosecuted and punished."

The first attack occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 28, authorities said.

The defendant allegedly attacked a woman on Bruin Walk and fled with her phone. Minutes later, he slipped behind two women into their secure dorm building and followed them to their room, where he allegedly sexually assaulted one woman and assaulted the other.

Both women managed to escape, and the defendant fled.

Prosecutors said Akindahunsi then entered a different dorm building, where he allegedly approached a woman walking down the hallway and attempted to kidnap her in order to commit a sexual assault. She managed to break free and flee.

Shortly after midnight, Akindahunsi is accused of approaching and sexually assaulting a woman in a dorm hallway. A nearby resident intervened, and the defendant fled.

He was quickly apprehended by UCLA police officers.

If convicted as charged, Akindahunsi could face a maximum sentence of 32 years to life in state prison, with lifetime sex offender registration.