Man in Custody After Video Captured Violent Attack, Attempted Rape of Woman Cleaning Irvine Office: Police

Police on Thursday arrested a man who they say was caught on video violently attacking and trying to rape a woman as she cleaned an office in Irvine. Eduardo Godoy Gonzalez, 21, of Santa Ana, was taken into custody at his workplace in Tustin at about 5 p.m., according to a news release from the Irvine Police Department The incident began when the suspect entered the office, located at 17877 Von Karman Ave., through an unlocked door around 1:20 a.m. Wednesday, investigators said.

Carrying a skateboard, he approached the woman and asked her in Spanish if she was alone. After she said yes, Gonzalez made sexually suggestive remarks and allegedly ordered the victim to have sex with him, police said. She refused, then threatened to call the police. At that point, the man identified as Gonzalez can be seen pulling out what appeared to be a gun and pointing it at her, surveillance video released by police showed. He allegedly shoved her into another room and forcefully tried to remove her clothes, police said. Unreleased footage showed that, for four minutes, the victim pleaded for her life and tried to fight the assailant off. She was ultimately able to overpower and disarm the attacker. The victim then fled to a nearby building to get help. By the time police arrived, the man was gone. Officers were able to find the gun, which they determined to be a replica Glock, according to the release. The victim told police she also saw the suspect with a knife, and officials said Gonzalez was in possession of a knife when he was taken into custody. She suffered some injuries, including bruises and scratches, during the assault, police said. “This was a very violent attack,” Irvine police spokeswoman Kim Mohr said prior to the suspect being apprehended. “Thankfully, it was all caught on video. So we can see in the video the suspect’s face very clearly. We can see him pull the weapon.” Detectives released the surveillance footage showing a portion of the incident Thursday as they sought to identify a suspect, and hours later Gonzalez had been identified and apprehended in connection with the case. Investigators said tips from citizens who saw media coverage of the case helped them to locate and arrest him. KTLA’s Erika Martin contributed to this report.