Redondo Man Charged in Gardena Rape

A Redondo Beach man has been charged in connection with a rape in Gardena last year, and police believe he met the victim through a social networking site, the Gardena Police Department announced in a news release Tuesday.

Corey Delaine Stewart, 40, was identified as a suspect through the use of DNA evidence, and the victim identified him as her attacker, police said.

Police said Stewart and the victim met through Tagged.com, a social networking site, and after several weeks of contact, the victim agreed to meet with him because she thought he was setting her up with a job interview.

The victim met Stewart, and he drove her to a Gardena neighborhood and raped her at gunpoint, police said.

"According to the victim, the car was set up so that the passenger could not exit," according to the statement from police. "The door handles and locking devices were disabled. The victim also described the front passenger seat as being able to recline to a fully flat position."

Police believe Stewart may have had an accomplice using an early 2000 model black Ford Explorer to commit similar crimes. The Gardena Police Department is looking for additional victims who might recognize Stewart's description—a 5-foot-9-inch African American male weighing about 265 pounds—or methods.

Anyone with information about this rape or others like it is asked to contact Detective Michael Ross at 310-217-9635.