A Los Angeles campus that chanted “defund the police” is now relying on law enforcement to stop a suspected predator accused of stalking and attacking young women in the dead of night.
Story Snapshot
- Prosecutors charged 26‑year‑old Alexander William Schecter with kidnapping a UCLA student and raping another woman near Culver City.[1][5]
- Police say Schecter allegedly trapped women in his car, threatened violence, and carried out a violent sexual assault and robbery.[1][2][3][5]
- The case exposes how repeat suspects can cycle through California’s bail system and return to the streets despite serious charges.[2][3][4]
- Parents and students who were told police were the problem now see armed officers as the last line of defense against campus predators.[1][2][3]
Allegations Of Late‑Night Kidnapping Near UCLA Campus
On March 8, around 3 a.m., two female UCLA students reported that a driver who was supposed to be dropping them off near campus instead allegedly blocked their exit from his vehicle and threatened them, forcing them to remain inside as he drove them roughly half a mile from Landfair Avenue to Gayley Avenue.[1][2][3] Police say the students, fearing for their safety, escaped only after the car reached the second location.[2][3][5] According to the University of California, Los Angeles Police Department, neither the suspect nor all of the victims have any affiliation beyond this incident.[1][5]
University of California, Los Angeles Police Department investigators identified 26‑year‑old Santa Monica resident Alexander William Schecter as the suspect and arrested him on March 12 on suspicion of kidnapping and false imprisonment.[1][2][3][5] News reports state that he was booked and then quickly released after posting bail, despite the serious nature of the allegations and the vulnerable status of the young women involved.[1][2][3] For families who send their daughters to what they believe are safe campuses, learning that a suspected kidnapper could be back on the street within hours raises hard questions about California’s justice priorities.[2][3]
Second Arrest Tied To Earlier Sexual Assault And Robbery
As detectives continued to dig into the March incident, they say they uncovered evidence linking the same suspect to a previously unreported sexual assault that took place on October 12, 2025, between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. near Venice Boulevard and Clarington Avenue on the border of Palms and Culver City.[1][2][3][5] Prosecutors allege that in that case, a woman was raped, forced into sexual acts, and robbed inside a residence, with charging documents describing great violence, threat of great bodily harm, and a high degree of cruelty and callousness.[1][5] Investigators believe there may be additional victims and have publicly urged anyone with information to contact the University of California, Los Angeles Police Department.[1][2][3][5]
Following the new evidence, officers rearrested Schecter at his Santa Monica home around March 20 or March 21 and booked him on a slate of violent felony counts, including rape by force, forcible oral copulation, robbery, extortion, and battery connected to the October 2025 attack.[1][3][5] Even then, records show that he again secured release by posting bail, this time after it was initially set at hundreds of thousands of dollars.[2][3][5] Only later, after formal felony charges were filed, did a judge order him held with bail boosted toward or above the million‑dollar range, reflecting the gravity of the alleged conduct and the risk to the public if he were free while awaiting trial.[4][5]
Felony Charges, Due Process, And Public Safety Concerns
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Schecter is now formally charged with kidnapping to commit another crime, first‑degree residential robbery, two counts of forcible oral copulation, and one count of forcible rape, tied to the October 2025 sexual assault and the March 2026 UCLA kidnapping.[4][5] Prosecutors have alleged that the October crime involved extreme violence and that the victims were particularly vulnerable, enhancements that could significantly increase potential penalties.[5] If convicted on all counts, he faces a possible sentence of 37 years to life in state prison under California law.[5]
Court records show that Schecter has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and under the Constitution he remains presumed innocent unless and until a jury proves otherwise.[4] Even so, the sequence of arrest, release on bail, new evidence, second arrest, and warnings about potential additional victims underscores the tension between defendant rights and community safety that many conservatives have warned about during years of “decriminalization” and reduced‑bail experiments.[2][3][4][5] Parents watching this case see a system that often appears faster to protect suspects than to assure their daughters can walk home safely at night.
Campus Safety, Policing, And The Price Of Ideological Experiments
These allegations surface on a campus that only a few years ago saw loud calls to defund or dismantle traditional policing, with activists insisting that law enforcement presence made students less safe rather than more secure.[1][2][3] Yet in this case it is the University of California, Los Angeles Police Department and local detectives doing the painstaking work of identifying a suspect, linking separate attacks, and urging more victims to come forward so prosecutors can hold the right person accountable.[1][3][5] For many conservative readers, this reinforces a basic truth: when violent men target women, the answer is not weaker policing and looser penalties, but firm enforcement, due process, and a justice system that puts public safety ahead of ideology.
Sources:
[1] Web – Cops arrest UCLA serial assault suspect accused of attacking female …
[2] Web – Man suspected of kidnapping 2 UCLA students and sexually … – ABC7
[3] Web – Man accused of kidnapping UCLA students, sexual assault released …
[4] Web – Alleged predator accused of kidnapping UCLA students, sexual …
[5] YouTube – Man charged for allegedly kidnapping UCLA student, raping woman …
