Security footage from Los Angeles reveals a man who is apparently kidnapping a young girl, dragging her into a public restroom, and raping her there. According to reports, the man can be seen on Tuesday walking down Klamath Street close to El Sereno Park with his arm around the young girl.

Police say the 27-year-old defendant, Edward William Banks, allegedly used a weapon to coerce the girl into a bathroom where he sexually attacked her before escaping in an unidentified route. Tuesday’s incident took place in a park in the El Sereno district. He then ran away, but later that night he was captured and charged with aggravated kidnapping with intent to rape. A $1 million bail has been ordered for Banks.

The unsettling episode occurs as crime rates around the country, especially in California, are rising. When compared to the previous year, the city saw an increase in robberies of 22% and severe assaults of 21%. Both in Los Angeles and around the country, crime has surged since the early 2020s. 67% of reported violent crimes in 2021 were aggravated assaults, while 24% were robberies, 8% were rapes, and 1% were homicides.

In 2020, California had the 16th-highest violent crime rate in the US (387 violent crimes per 100,000 people), exceeding the national average. The Los Angeles Police Department’s homicide statistics for the first half of the year showed the highest level in more than ten years.

Data from the Los Angeles Police Department show that there were 172 homicides in the city as of June 18, a rise of 35% from the first half of 2020 and a 5.5% increase over the same period last year. 181 homicides occurred in the first half of 2022, as against 180 reported in the same period of 2021, as reported by Eyewitness News analysis of the most recent Los Angeles Police Department data.

According to authorities, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will be presented with the case against Banks.

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