SANTA MONICA—Antonio Montano pled not guilty to four counts of assault with intent to commit rape at his arraignment on Wednesday, May 20. He is currently being held on $2 million bail and will return to court on June 1 to set a preliminary hearing date.

Montana's preliminary hearing will be held at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles.
Montano’s preliminary hearing will be held at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office stated in a press release that Montano allegedly committed these acts between March and May of 2015. The first attack occurred on March 6, the following two on March 22, and the final on May 17. Three of the attacks occurred in Santa Monica and one in the West LA area. All of the victims were women between the ages of 23 and 41.

Each case began with the suspect grabbing the victim from behind and pinning her arms. In all four instances the women screamed for help, causing the attacker to flee. The May 17 attack resulted in the arrest of Montano after neighbors called the police.

District Attorney Holly Harpham of the Sex Crimes Division will be prosecuting the case. Both the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as the Santa Monica Police Department are conducting the investigation. If convicted, Montano faces up to 10 years in state prison.