Police say the attacks unfolded over about six hours in Northridge, Winnetka and nearby neighborhoods before the 29-year-old suspect surrendered.
LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles police say a registered sex offender targeted six women in separate sexual assaults and recording incidents across the western San Fernando Valley on April 19, prompting a public appeal for more victims before the suspect turned himself in three days later.
The case drew wide attention because police said the attacks happened in busy public places, including businesses, food markets and a store restroom, over a short stretch of time. Investigators said surveillance video from several locations helped them identify Damian Denzell Robinson, 29. By Thursday, Robinson was in custody, but detectives said they were still trying to learn whether more women were attacked and had not yet contacted police.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the first reported attack happened about 9:10 a.m. near Devonshire Street and Balboa Boulevard, where an elderly woman was inside a business when a man approached, pulled down her pants, grabbed her and sexually assaulted her before running off. About 45 minutes later, police said, another elderly woman near Forbes Avenue and Calahan Street was confronted by the same suspect, who tried to pull down her pants. That woman resisted, held onto her waistband and faced him until he fled. Five minutes after that, near Lassen Street and Encino Avenue, a third woman told officers a man came up from behind, grabbed and sexually assaulted her while recording the encounter on his cellphone. Police Chief statements were not released Thursday, but investigators said the quick series of reports helped them begin linking the incidents almost immediately.
The reports continued into the afternoon. Police said a fourth woman was attacked at about 11:15 a.m. inside a food market near Vanowen Street and Corbin Avenue, where the suspect approached from behind, grabbed her and sexually assaulted her. At 12:37 p.m., officers said, another woman inside a market near Mason Avenue and Sherman Way reported that the suspect pulled down her pants and underwear while recording her on his phone, then ran away. The sixth reported incident came at 3:20 p.m. near Corbin Avenue and Nordhoff Street, where a woman in a retail store restroom said the suspect used a cellphone to record her from under a stall. In each case, police said the suspect had left on foot before officers arrived. Detectives have not publicly said whether the women knew each other, whether the attacks were fully planned or whether any physical evidence besides video and victim accounts has been recovered.
The geography of the case helped shape the public response. The reported attacks stretched from the Devonshire and Balboa area to Northridge and Winnetka, crossing commercial corridors and neighborhood streets in the middle of a weekend day. Police said some incidents happened inside stores with customers nearby, adding to concerns about how openly the suspect was moving from place to place. Security cameras became central to the investigation. Detectives said closed-circuit television footage from businesses captured the incidents and helped them identify Robinson. Local television footage from one store, recorded moments after one of the incidents, showed shoppers calling for security as the suspect left. Authorities have not released the surveillance videos in full, and they have not said whether all six victims have been interviewed in the same detail or whether any of the cases could lead to separate counts tied to recording allegations.
Police named Robinson in a public release on April 22 and said he had a prior conviction for indecent exposure and lewd conduct that requires him to register as a sex offender. Investigators said he was wanted on suspicion of felony sexual battery under California Penal Code 243.4, along with multiple other sexual offenses. The department described him as a Black man, 6 feet 3 inches tall and about 200 pounds, and said he was last seen wearing a black baseball cap, white shirt, tan pants, blue-and-white Nike shoes and eyeglasses. After detectives released his booking photo and asked the public for help, Robinson turned himself in Wednesday night at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department station in Lancaster, according to police and local news reports. By Thursday morning, jail records cited by local media showed he had been booked into custody with the LAPD in Van Nuys. Authorities had not publicly announced formal charges or a court date by early Thursday.
The investigation now appears focused on building out the full scope of the case. Detectives said they released Robinson’s booking photo because they believe he may be responsible for additional sexual assaults that were never reported. “We are actively investigating this matter and encourage any additional victims to come forward and complete a police report,” the department said in its public statement. That language suggested investigators were weighing whether the six reported encounters represent the entire pattern from that day or only the incidents already tied to the suspect through surveillance and witness accounts. Police have not said whether prosecutors will seek enhanced penalties tied to multiple victims, prior convictions or alleged recording of some encounters. They also have not said whether Robinson has a lawyer speaking for him or whether he has made any statement to investigators since surrendering.
For residents and workers in the area, the case landed with particular force because several of the incidents happened in routine places people visit every day: a neighborhood business, grocery stores, sidewalks and a restroom inside a retail store. The alleged speed of the attacks, moving from one woman to the next in less than seven hours, gave the case the feel of a rapid and public crime spree rather than a single isolated offense. Detectives from the Devonshire Division have taken the lead, and the next steps are likely to include more victim interviews, review of phone evidence, analysis of surveillance footage and consultation with prosecutors about what charges can be filed based on each reported encounter. As of Thursday, the suspect was in custody, the investigation remained open and police were still trying to determine whether more women were targeted on April 19 or in other incidents that have not yet been linked.
The case stood Thursday as both an arrest and an unfinished investigation: a suspect was in custody, but police said the next major milestone will be determining whether additional victims come forward and when prosecutors announce any formal charging decision.
Author note: Last updated April 23, 2026.