Supervisors Extend Reward for Arrest of Echo Park-Silver Lake Sexual Predator

LOS ANGELES, CA -- The Board of Supervisors Wednesday renewed the $10,000 reward offered -- part of $35,000 on offer -- for information on a suspect in a string of sexual assault attempts and home invasion crimes in the Echo Park, Westlake, Silver Lake, Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles areas.

That reward was set to expire Nov. 13 and will now be available for at least another 90 days. In August, Los Angeles police arrested Russell Harris, 34, in connections with the assaults. He is currently in jail awaiting trial. However, no one has come forward to claim the reward for providing the information leading to his arrest. Extending the reward for 30 days will allow a tipster to collect on the reward.

The same suspect is connected to eight incidents. The suspect, was known to carry a kitchen knife, entered apartment buildings and trespassed into homes. He's attempted sexual assaults on two women, who screamed and fought him off, according to police.

In those two incidents -- in the 800 block of North Mariposa Avenue in East Hollywood and the 1600 block of Cortez Street in Echo Park -- the man checked numerous apartment doors and then entered unlocked units, according to Supervisor Hilda Solis. When a female resident returned to her apartment from the complex's laundry room, the suspect covered her mouth and pinned her to the wall. Her loud scream ultimately scared him off.

In the second case, the suspect pinned a woman against a couch and assaulted her. Her dogs somehow intervened and the woman was able to push the man off and run for help, Solis said.

The suspect was described as a light-skinned black man in his 20s or 30s, with black hair and brown eyes. He was seen on surveillance video wearing an olive green shirt with an Virgin Mary image, blue jeans and a pair of blue and white Adidas shoes.

He is connected to eight incidents, seven of which took place on Aug. 1- 2. The most recent sighting took place in Hollywood, when the suspect was seen peeping into a home in the 1900 block Highland Avenue through a window.

He was wearing a black shirt, khaki pants and red and white Nike high-top sneakers, police said.

Police had warned he was likely to strike again, but within two days of offering the reward, police received information that led them to the arrest of Harris.

City News Service and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.