A man was arrested after he tried to carjack at least three times on Saturday in Lincoln Heights and Boyle Heights, the Los Angeles Police Department said Thursday.
Maurice Latorre is accused of approaching a woman at a gas pump and trying to force his way into her car at around 10:40 a.m. Saturday in the 3200 block of North Broadway. Then he made similar attempts at around 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., targeting two other women, police said.
The 49-year-old had been hospitalized at Los Angeles General Medical Center. But after police circulated the video footage of the attempted carjackings, a nurse at the hospital recognized him and called the authorities.
Police said Latorre went to the hospital on his own.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
"He suffers from mental illness," Lipidio Orozco with the LAPD's Hollenbeck station said while he did not know the severity of his illness.
Investigators also believed Latorre may be homeless.
"Whenever you have a series of crimes like that obviously it creates tension within our community," said. Cpt. Chris Mayberry said. "We all have family members. We all have daughters and wives. It was obvious to all of us he was targeting women and that is a great concern to us."
While some women in the neighborhood said they are relieved that Latorre was not on the street anymore, others said they are still worried for their safety.
"I don’t even come out. I come out to go to work, and I go back home, one woman said. "Me as a mother -- it breaks my heart. All we want to do is protect our children so they don’t have to experience what is going on in this world."
