SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Police Department have arrested a suspect responsible for several sexual assaults that transpired in the city. According to the SFPD, in February 2018, authorities identified two sexual assaults that were committed by the same suspect. The first incident transpired in 2013, and the second in February 2018. Both cases were connected by forensic evidence and other factors.

During both incidents, the victims were waiting for a rideshare service, they entered the vehicles they believed were their rideshare vehicle outside local bars, they were later taken to another location and sexually assaulted.

SFPD Special Victims Unit Sexual Assault investigators, Cold Case investigators and SFPD Crime Analysis Unit analysts started to search for other cases with similarities to the first two cases. The San Francisco Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) identified and discussed similarities between reports by other sexual assault survivors.

In June 2018, the suspect was forensically connected to a third incident that occurred in May 2018. Authorities formed a taskforce which consisted of the Department’s Special Victims Unit, Crime Lab, Special Investigations, Crime Analysis Unit, Southern District Station plainclothes team and the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office Crime Strategies Unit. The taskforce worked closely with the FBI and the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC) to identify and locate the suspect, referred to as the ‘Rideshare Rapist.’  In July 2018, the San Francisco Police Department Crime Lab was able to use forensic evidence to connect the Rideshare Rapist to a fourth incident that transpired in June 2018.

The taskforce followed numerous leads and the Special Victims Unit conducted a proactive surveillance operation each weekend in the downtown San Francisco region to halt additional sexual assaults, monitor and log any suspicious rideshare vehicles and drivers or individuals posing as such, and to identify a suspect.

While conducting an operation the weekend of July 7, Special Victims Unit investigators spotted suspicious behavior from a driver operating what appeared to be a rideshare vehicle.  The vehicle was stopped and the driver identified.  The driver’s DNA was obtained and submitted for analysis and comparison.  On Tuesday, July 10, the San Francisco Police Department Crime Lab confirmed that the driver’s DNA matched forensic evidence from the June sexual assault. The crime lab is conducting the final DNA confirmation tests on all four assaults.

On Thursday, July 12, Orlando Vilchez Lazo, 37, was taken into custody outside of his home in San Mateo County. Vilchez Lazo was charged with multiple offenses including false imprisonment, kidnapping, assault with intent to commit rape, sexual penetration with a foreign object and rape. Rideshare companies are working with SFPD investigators to determine whether Vilchez Lazo has ever been a documented rideshare driver.

The SFPD is still investigating the case and suspect there could be additional victims sexually assaulted by Vilchez Lazo. Survivors or witnesses to any of the assaults or who may have been victimized by Vilchez Lazo is asked to contact the SFPD Special Victims Unit at 415-553-1521. The SFPD can be contacted through our 24 hour tip line at (415) 575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. Tipsters may remain anonymous.