Woman sexually assaulted after accepting ride from stranger at Orange County nightclub

PLACENTIA, Calif. -- A woman who had her purse and cell phone stolen at an Anaheim Hills nightclub accepted a ride home from a man who then attempted to sexually assault her.

A Placentia officer observed the victim attempting to escape the suspect's moving vehicle multiple times and pulled him over. The driver complied and pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant near Placentia and Chapman avenues at about 2:53 a.m.

As the female victim ran over to the officer and proceeded to tell the officer that she was the victim of a sexual assault, the suspect fled the scene.

Jose Antonio Rodriguez, 43, was later captured near Acacia and Wilshire avenues in Fullerton with the assistance of an Anaheim Police Department helicopter. The suspect, who was located near his parked vehicle lying on the ground in the front yard of a residence, surrendered without incident.

He was positively identified by the victim and arrested for kidnapping for the purpose of a sex crime and other sexual assault charges. He is being held at the Orange County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with further information was urged to contact Placentia police detectives at (714) 993-8146.