Alleged Violent Serial Rapist To Face Judge Today

SANTA MONICA, CA – Pablo Carlos Pineda, 32, will face a judge today to determine if there's enough evidence to move forward with a trial after he pleaded not guilty to three counts of forcible rape, two counts each of assault with intent to commit a sex crime, kidnapping and second-degree robbery and one count each of assault likely to produce great bodily injury and assault with a deadly weapon.

Pineda allegedly attacked four women in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and West Los Angeles, hitting one of them with a brick and sexually assaulting two others.

Prosecutors planned to ask for bail of more than $2.6 million for Pineda, who lived on the streets in Santa Monica. He was arrested in July 2016 near MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. Prosecutors allege Pineda attacked the first woman in Santa Monica in January 2016 and then raped another woman there on February 2016.

On April 15, 2016, he allegedly beat a woman with a brick in the 9000 block of Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Then on July 2 of last year, prosecutors allege he kidnapped and raped a fourth victim in the 1300 block of Westgate Avenue in West Los Angeles.

The attacks were investigated by Santa Monica, Los Angeles and Beverly Hills police, with assistance from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.

If convicted as charged, Pineda faces up to 25 years to life in prison.

City News Service and Patch staffer Emily Holland contributed to this report; Photo courtesy of Santa Monica Police Department