Serial Assault Suspect Found With Zip Ties, Duct Tape After UCLA Attack Spree: Police

A 29-year-old man accused of carrying out a series of attacks on women across UCLA's campus last week has been charged with multiple felonies. Olumuyiwa Akindahunsi, who was arrested by UCLA police on May 29, was charged Tuesday with two counts of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, three counts of assault with intent to commit rape, and one count of attempted kidnapping to commit robbery or rape, according to court records.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday morning at the Airport Courthouse and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail, according to sheriff's jail records.

Officers first responded around 11:35 p.m. to a report of a robbery on Bruin Walk.

Investigators said a suspect approached a student from behind, forcibly took her cellphone, and fled. The victims were able to escape after fighting back or with the help of witnesses who intervened, police said.

The suspect was ultimately arrested shortly after midnight near Parking Structure 8 after a witness who had intervened in an ongoing assault at Cedar Hall directed officers to the fleeing man, according to UCLA police. Investigators said multiple victims and witnesses identified Akindahunsi as the suspect.

Officers also recovered items believed to be connected to the incidents, including zip ties, duct tape, and paracord, police said.

UCLA police said increased patrols remain in place around the affected residential areas, although authorities said there is no known ongoing threat related to the incidents. The attacks come amid heightened concerns about safety around UCLA.

Students have recently reported an increase in incidents involving women being screamed at, catcalled, and followed by men along Hilgard Avenue, a stretch bordering campus that is commonly known as "sorority row," the Los Angeles Times reported. Last month, several sororities hired private security guards in response to what students described as a rise in aggressive behavior, harassment, and lewd comments from unhoused individuals near campus, the Times reported.

The case also follows another recent high-profile criminal prosecution involving a woman targeted near UCLA. In April, prosecutors charged a Santa Monica man with kidnapping a UCLA student in March in an attempt to rape her.

UCLA officials say Akindahunsi is not affiliated with the university and is not suspected in any other incidents, the Times reported.