Corona: Agent raped, stabbed -- while showing a house

There are all manner of weird foreclosure stories out there (mosquitoes, arson, stolen copper, squatters, gangs in vacant houses etc.) but this is the most disturbing story I've heard:  "Authorities say a real estate agent was raped and repeatedly stabbed by a man she was showing a vacant home in Corona."

More, from CBS-2 in Los Angeles: "The woman was savagely injured but managed to fight off her attacker and is expected to survive, Corona police said. Police identified the suspect as Shawn David Yates, 33, of Corona. Yates was arrested Friday night on suspicion of torture, kidnapping, strong-arm robbery, assault with intent to rape and false imprisonment. He was held without bail Saturday at Robert Presley Detention Center, Riverside County sheriff's officials said.

"Officers responded to the daylight attack at 10:46 a.m. Friday in the 700 block of Silvestre Court. They found a woman with multiple stab wounds and she was transported to a local hospital."

Here's a longer video posted on AOL, which reports that the house where the attack took place is a bank-owned foreclosure, and that the suspect was renting a room in the neighborhood -- from homeowners trying to stave off foreclosure.

Hat tip: P, via email.

Comments

[mike]

so an r.e. agent needs to get raped and almost killed for anyone on this blog to say anything nice about them.

[TrojanDLA]

Thanks for posting this Peter. As an REO broker, this is a somber reminder for me to lecture my agents on safety procedures whenever meeting a prospective "buyer" alone - which is never. I have also read of incidents where the "buyer" is "married couple" which sounds much more harmless than a lone man, but are more dangerous because agents let their guard down and are facing 2 attackers instead of one. Yes, co-ed attackers exist.

[R. J. Kelly]

Next time the Real Estate agent should armed. One dead rapist isn't going to make anyone shed a tear.

[JC]

How difficult is it to get a concealed weapon permit in Corona?

My prayers are for the injured agent. Everyone please be careful.

[matt]

My wife sat on a O.C. jury that sentenced a serial rapist with a similar M.O. to 25 years to life. The rapist would collect open house signs en route to the properties. Most agents are trained to have 2 people on-site for open houses for the purposes of safety & showcasing the agents other listings.

We pray for a speedy, full recovery for the victim of this senseless crime.

[sfvrealestate]

Perhaps I should clarify my post, which commented on Hugo Chavez's first post. Peter, I believe that stories like this absolutely DO belong here. And I certainly did not mean to be flippant. But considering the antagonism towards Realtors from many regular posters on this blog, I think both Hugo's and my posts shouldn't be surprising. I hope for a speedy recovery for this Realtor.

[Red]

Sorry but this is absolutely a real estate story. My husband worked with Law enforcement for 20 years and even back when things were good, economic downturns were one of the #1 things Police care about. When the economy goes south and people start losing thier homes, it creates a haven for criminals and a major overload for our police. It's ALL connected.

[puckehad]

I vote Amir as blockhead of the year. Yes, the riots in 92 had nothing to do with racial tensions, Simi Valley and Rodney King. It had nothing to do with a bunch of brain dead punks burning down their own neighborhoods. It was all due to out of work real estate agents and people who could not find work due to falling home values. Because we all know that if RE prices did not collapse in the early 90’s that the gang bangers and welfare moms that were burning down the corner grocery would have been instead selling houses or underwriting loans!!! Amir, do us a favor and please move out of LA. Your takes are as old as your survival food stored in your nuclear and magnitude 8.0 earthquake bomb shelter.

[problemwithcaring]

This person getting assaulted, as terrible as it is, is just one bad incident indirectly related to the housing downturn. While I personally agree/believe this post about one agent’s brush with criminality was purely for the sake of sensationalism, it does raise a good point that I think amir highlighted brilliantly.

On my blog, I’ve posted about how the successful welfare reforms of the Clinton administration were possible mainly because of the internet bubble (see: American Dream by Jason DeParle). In short, the “low-skills job boom” averted what would have been massive unemployment and high crime in low-income neighborhoods. In that vein, American low-income wage earners were then sustained by the housing boom. Lower to middle income medical aides workers, office administrators, secretaries and service workers were given mortgages, put into houses and told that debt was the new path to the old American Dream. And like amir said, lots of low-skilled people were employed within the housing industry.

As the boom comes to an end in LA, there has been an increase in drug sales, arrests and a spike (seasonal?) in gang-violence. Eight schoolchildren have been shot in the past 10 days. Urban aid workers say many children in LA are exhibiting stress symptoms similar to children in Gaza. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa condemns what he called "cloak of fear" spreading across parts of the city from the safety of Hillary Clinton’s campaign bus. Meanwhile, residents of Skid Row - now maxed to capacity to with an estimated 14,000+ citizens, veterans and illegal immigrants - are overflowing into Ontario’s Tent City and creating all the public health and safety concerns that come along with a ungoverned refugee camp.

I think the lawlessness that begat the housing bubble will come home to roost; however, I don’t think it’s something that can be explained using a single, lurid post.

[Laura-LosAngelesRealEstateTalk.com]

Thanks for the post. Sometimes we need a little 'reality reminder' and this is one. It's easy to get comfortable and let down your guard.
Many good wishes for the agent's speedy recovery.

[Michael Snyder]

puckhead,
I second your motion and nominate
problemwithcaring for first runner up.

[problemwithcaring]

Problemwithcaring (accepting award for blockhead of the year):

…and lastly, thanks so much to the erudite poster cum laude Michael Synder, who spends all of his days and nights posting nonsequitor comments on LA LAND blog about "What is What". Really, each post, one part of a 137-part thesis called America's Boogeymen (Part 1-133: Home Depot). I should also note, this volunteer work is selflessly made possible by so thoroughly and completely ignoring the needs of his own clientele.

Thank you, Michael Synder for giving me (and us all) my opinion. Thank you. (And, Micheal, don’t worry about the 756 –word “You’re welcome.”)

[Michael Snyder]

pwc,
When you climb out of your little protected cubicle in Berkly you might want to commute to someplace where the sun shines. Then you can adjust your posture so the sunlight can reach above your neck. Even though your real estate experience is second hand from relatives in Baldwin Park,
this somehow makes you an expert on not only real estate in Los Angeles but an erstwhile proponent of a welfare state. Your socialist vision for America may suit your own lack of motivation but in the end the money has to come from someone with a job. I'd suggest you find one.

BTW the boogie man is oil, now over $107 a barrel and my references to Home Depot have to do with Bob Nardini's plundering that firm to the tune of $232 million on his way to work his "magic" at Chrysler where he's eliminated over 20,000 job in his brief tenure. At the time of his departure HD stock was well over $50 a share. Today it's trading for about $25. Perhaps your socialist welfare state has a magic wand that will restore the hundreds of millions of dollars in stockholder wealth that's been wiped out by one man's greed.

[ILuvLA]

"Hugo Chavez, you took the post right from my fingers!"

Hmmm. sfvrealestate, I've lost all of the respect I had for you. That sentiment is just tacky beyond belief.

On point, look out for a string of copy-cat crimes, as potential rapists go, "Oooooh, good idea!" The saturation media coverage is almost certain to trigger them.

Buy mace. Or a mace.

[ODT]

The Woman, The Real Estate Agent, My friend will recover because she is, a very strong individual. I thank those who have chosen to say a prayer for her. My thoughts are that I am very happy she fought back and we couldn’t expect anything less from her she is a tough girl with a tremendous will to live. She survived that predator and I am happy he is behind bars unable to cause anymore harm. She has a good family and many friends who love her and will support her second chance to live.

[Cameron Novak]

I have been an agent in this city for a long time, and while this is a horrible incident, I can say it is very rare for something like this to happen in our area.