LOS ANGELES – An 18-year-old Lancaster man has been charged with more than a dozen felony counts in connection with a 4th of July attack outside the Westfield Topanga Mall, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office.
Kioki Ray Snowden is charged with four counts of forcible rape, three counts of identity theft and two counts of kidnapping to commit another crime. He also faces one count each of second-degree robbery, sexual penetration by foreign object, forcible oral copulation, sodomy by use of force and second-degree commercial burglary.
The complaint includes special allegations that Snowden used a deadly weapon, a knife, in the commission of the offense; kidnapped and bound the victim; and substantially increased the risk of harm to the victim through movement.
The charges stem from an incident on July 4 when a 19-year-old female victim was allegedly kidnapped at knifepoint when she returned to her parked car at the mall.
The assailant forced the victim into her car and held her hostage for about three hours, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. During this time, the suspect forced the victim to drive him to multiple locations in the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles areas, LAPD officials said. The suspect also robbed and raped the victim, officials said.
Days after the incident, the LAPD released surveillance photos of the suspect and asked for the public’s help in solving the case. On July 11, police served a warrant at Snowden’s Lancaster residence, where evidence was recovered, LAPD officials said.
Snowden was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and rape and jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.
He appeared for an arraignment on July 15, but the hearing was postponed to July 29 in Department 100 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Van Nuys Branch.
Snowden’s bail was raised to $9.045 million. If convicted of the charges, Snowden faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
(Information via the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles Police Department.)
Previous related story: Lancaster man arrested in Topanga mall kidnapping, rape
yabbadabba says
I’m happy to know that he was caught. Thanks to the diligent work of our law enforcement agencies. I certainly hope more of these punks are caught and arrested as they have to no right to be free.
Notagain says
THATS TRUE!
Notagain says
THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!! WHY ISN’T CIVIL RIGHTS CALLING THE PRESS AN HAVING PROTEST!! WUT IF THIS GUY HAD DONE THIS TO YOUR DAUGHTER! WUT WOULD YU DO?
evervigilant says
Just think…prior to his 18th birthday, he was also considered a ‘juvenile’ offender. Really? Law enforcement and the lawyers need to end the protection of these juvenile deliquents and start publishing photos and names. Power to the People!
AVGirl says
Chances are if he had only been 17 or maybe even as young as 15, he would have been charged as an adult.
Uncle Tom says
Wow. What an upstanding member of the community. I’m sure he’s a great kid, never been in trouble before, so they much have the wrong guy! No? He came from an abusing home, never knew his dad, got hooked on drugs and joined a gang as a young teen? He is just a misunderstood misguided youth who should be rehabilitated?
Come on community leaders (you know who I’m talking about), why not get on the news and condemn this piece of work? Why not point out that this is everything that’s wrong with society, and we and need to stamp out such actions and people from the world. Oh, is it you don’t want people to associate him with your community? Your all perfect right? Your all victims right? So that’s it. You have yet to stand in front of the cameras on this issue because your still looking for a way to twist this and make this ‘fine young man’ a victim, and by extension your community a victim.
And no, this bail is not excessive, I just hope the trial is quick, and the sentence extremely long. This person, if all the charges are true, should be removed from the free world forever. Don’t give me that BS that he was young and dumb. Upon commission of such crimes a persons humanity card is revoked, they are now a wild rabid animal. Deal with them as such.
sammy p says
I certainly agree that a long prison term is appropriate in this case, but after seeing The Shawshank Redemption 3 or 4 times and listening to that very moving speech that Morgan Freeman gave to the parole board at the end, I can’t help but think that people can and do change and perhaps one day Mr. Snowden (seems like an unlucky last name to have these days) will be wiser and see the error of his ways. I’m 43 now and I can say with certainty I am not anything like the person I was at 18. I guess I should consider myself lucky because it only takes one bad choice to throw ones whole life down the drain. I guess the same can be said about the other Mr. Snowden as well.
Uncle Tom says
I can agree that people should be given opportunities to change their life. I myself have had my own ‘legal’ problems in the past, and I very quickly decided that it wasn’t a path I wanted to continue following. Lucky for me I had enough moral compass that my activities were never of any violent or serious nature, despite the fact they were still crimes. But there is a certain line that when crossed places a person in a whole other playing field.
I might be convinced that a single charge or act of semi violent nature can be though of as a slip up, a mistake, especially if quickly followed by true remorse. But this individual right here is accused of holding a person hostage, at knife point, forcing this person to satisfy his perverse sexual desires or possibly face death. The victim is very lucky to be alive because she was able to escape before it became even worse. Hours of mental and physical torture of a innocent person.
No, this person, if convicted, should ideally be removed from civilized society in some permanent or very long term manner. This person does not belong.
AVGirl says
That might be true for someone who stole a pack of gum or was caught drinking under age, but this has changed a young woman’s life forever. She may never heal emotionally from this.
There are some things we all wish we could undo, but this goes behind simple acts of childish behavior.
sikntired says
Right you are.
Mr. Mister says
Well said. He’ll get his rehabilitation by loving inmates in prison. Rapists always get paid back what they have given…I’m just upset tax dollars will feed and shelter this scum.
OPENurEYES says
At least we agree on this one!