Major Investigation Leads to Carjacking Arrest

A man who police say carjacked three women in the Valley in the past month was arrested Wednesday after a major investigation involving Los Angeles police detectives and state parole authorities.

Detectives claim the suspect, 44-year-old Paul Arteche, specialized in overpowering women while they were getting into their cars, either at a gas station or in a store parking lot.

The three carjackings occurred in Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Valley Village, all during the month of August.

"This was just great police work combined with inter-agency cooperation," said Detective Jennifer Hammer of the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood Division.

The suspect, a large man who is 6-foot-3, and has a long, black pony tail, targeted older women in all three cases, according to police. In one of the carjackings on Aug. 15 at , the victim reported the suspect cut her with a knife he was brandishing, police said.

The most recent carjacking occurred Friday in the CVS parking lot at Laurel Canyon and Ventura boulevards.

Detectives said the woman left her car door open, with keys still in the ignition; when she went back to open her trunk, the suspect got into the car, pushed her away and took off in the vehicle.

In an email to friends alerting them to the carjacking, the victim wrote, "I'm OK (only a big bruise) but he got my car, purse, keys and all my ID. Studio City is considered a safe area, and there were lots of people around at the time. This was a brazen act of opportunity by a dangerous man. Please spread the word, and take extra care. I am extremely cautious, but let me tell you it only took 10 seconds."

The other two carjackings, which police also link to the suspect, occurred after women had stopped at gas stations. The first occurred on Aug. 4 at the corner of Laurel Canyon and Kling Street.

In each incident, the cars were abandoned shortly after being taken, but the victims' purses and other property were stolen, police reported.

Police said the carjackings were all captured on video, so they knew what the suspect looked like.

"He turned out to be a parolee with a record, so it became a question of trying to locate this man," Hammer said. "That's where the parole people came in to help us. They knew where to find him. He was in downtown Los Angeles, near Fifth and Wall streets."

Paul, who had previously served time in prison for robbery, was arrested and taken to jail at the Van Nuys Division. He is expected to be charged with carjacking, and a court hearing is scheduled for Friday, police said.