User:Ntbolton/sandbox

Method of operation
The Sacramento East Area Rapist is believed to have started out as a burglar, only later committing rapes. His modus operandi was to stalk middle class neighborhoods at night for women who lived in single story homes. He ran away when spotted prowling; on one occasion a youth who pursued him was shot and seriously wounded. Most victims had seen or heard a prowler on their property prior to the attacks, with many having had suffered break-ins. Police believe there was a pattern where the offender would place the house of his intended victim under surveillance before the night of the crime. Having initially sought out women by themselves, the criminal later began targeting couples. Typically he entered a house at night, woke the occupants and threatened them with a handgun. All victims were bound with ligatures the criminal brought to the crime scene, with the female ordered to tie her male companion with bootlaces before being tied herself. The perpatrator was believed to employ the use of a bicycle on the nights of the attacks. A masked bicycle rider chased by a policeman in the early hours of the morning is believed to have been the rapist. When confronted, the suspect abandoned the bicycle and fled on foot. During the subsequent footchase through backyards, he vaulted a series of fences and shook off his pursuer.