Possible Suspect in Series of Rapes Killed by Police

INGLEWOOD —  A possible suspect in the so-called Westside rapist attacks was shot to death by Inglewood police early Friday after he allegedly raped a woman and threatened officers with an eight-inch knife.

“He told the officers, ‘I’m going to kill you!’ and then advanced on them with the knife,” said Michael Easley, a spokesman for the Inglewood Police Department.

Easley said detectives were talking with Los Angeles and Santa Monica police to see if the dead man--who was not identified--could be the man who has terrorized women on the Westside in recent weeks.

Easley said the dead man’s description generally matches that of the Westside rapist.

Detectives said that shortly after 3 a.m. Friday, the man entered the Inglewood apartment of a woman, seized one of her kitchen knives, ransacked the place and attempted to rape her.

When the woman fled screaming into the night, the man chased her to a nearby service station and raped her, police said.

Neighbors who heard the screams notified police, who cornered the man at the service station.

Officers said that when the man advanced on them, threatening to kill them, they opened fire.

The woman was treated at a hospital for wounds she suffered as she fought with the attacker.