The man wanted as a suspect in three recent carjacking attempts in Los Angeles targeting women has been arrested, police announced Thursday afternoon.
The suspect, identified as 49-year-old Maurice Latorre, was considered “violent and dangerous” by police, and a nurse at a hospital recognized him as a patient and alerted police.
The series of alleged carjacking attempts happened within hours of each other on Saturday. The first occurred at a Lincoln Heights gas station when a woman was pumping gas and Latorre allegedly forced his way into the driver’s side of the car and after a brief struggle with the woman, he ran away.
Three hours later, after a brief struggle, Latorre allegedly smashed the driver’s window of a car in a Boyle Heights parking lot as a woman and her family drove away.
At another gas station nearby, the last carjacking attempt of the day escalated.
Security camera video taken at the time of the attack shows Latorre staring at the woman as she pumped gas. When she finished and tried to get into her driver’s seat, Latorre allegedly yanked the door open and pulled her to the ground. He continued to attack her until a passerby pulled him off the woman. He left on a silver bicycle.
During a press conference on Thursday morning with updated information on the case, police surprisingly announced at the end of the briefing that they had just arrested Latorre.
Police said Latorre may have been homeless and was arrested at a hospital as he was being treated for a mental episode. Since the release of the surveillance videos showing the suspect in the attempted carjacking, a nurse recognized Latorre and called police.
Latorre has a lengthy criminal record, with four previous arrests in the past fourteen months, and was referred to a state hospital twice after those arrests. His criminal record dates back to 1992.
