Charges filed Against Rape Robbery Suspect on 17th Street and 18th Street Assaults

Authorities announced that they have filed charges on Fernando Venancio Jr., a 43-year-old male from Lynwood CA., for his involvement in a series of robberies and sexual assaults that occurred in Santa Monica.

Police arrested Venancio for two assaults on 18th and 19th Street, neighborhoods not typically frequented by violent crimes. The press release from SMPD reads:

"On July 22, 2019 at about 4:16 p.m., officers from the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) responded to a radio call for service at the 800 block of 18th Street regarding an unknown trouble in which a struggle could be heard over an open 9-1-1 call.

When officers arrived, they spoke with the victim of a robbery and an attempt sexual assault. Following a search for the suspect, officers located the suspect at the 900 block of 19th Street. The suspect was taken into police custody and booked at SMPD Jail.

Following a preliminary investigation, SMPD Detectives have been able to link Venancio to two other incidents:

• On June 16, 2019 a sexual assault occurred at the 800 block of 18th Street.

• On July 12, 2019 a sexual assault and robbery occurred in the area of 17th Street and Santa Monica Blvd

Venancio has been charged with 2 counts of 261(a)(2) PC Forcible Rape; 289(a)(1) PC Digital Penetration with Force; 2 counts of 211 PC Robbery; and 220(a)(1) PC Assault with intent to Commit Rape. Venancio remains in custody pending future court proceedings with no bail options.

Anyone with any information related to these incidents or any other similar incident is encouraged to contact Detective Murphy at 310-458-8941; Detective Carrillo 310-458-8983; or Sergeant Art Williams at 310-458-8475.