Investigators are searching for any additional victims after a 27-year-old man was charged with sexually assaulting a woman who left a North Hollywood gym.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged Rodrigo Melgar of Woodland Hills with one felony count of sexual penetration by force. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on Aug. 5.
Police allege Melgar followed a woman after she left the gym around 8:20 p.m. on July 19, and was walking on a pedestrian bridge at Laurel Grove Avenue and Valleyheart Drive. He is accused of coming up behind the woman, grabbing her by the hair, pulling her to the ground and sexually assaulting her. Melgar fled after a witness intervened, the District Attorney’s Office said.
The name and address of the gym were not included in a news release on Friday. A spokesperson for the DA’s office could not be reached.
Los Angeles police arrested Melgar on Aug. 3.
He is being held on $100,000 bail and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Aug. 17. If convicted as charged, he faces up to eight years in state prison.
Investigators believe there may be other victims. Police ask anyone with more information on the case or who may have been a victim to call 818-754-8430.