Local News

Man pleads not guilty to sex crime charges connected to East Hollywood bus assault

By Julie Sharp

May 2, 2025 / 3:07 PM PDT / CBS LA

CBS News Los Angeles

The 18-year-old man who allegedly attempted to rob, and then sexually assaulted a woman on a Los Angeles Metro bus last month pleaded not guilty to sex crime charges on Friday.

Edgar Javier Zepeda allegedly assaulted a woman at knifepoint while traveling on a bus between East Hollywood and Southwest Los Angeles on April 12.

The incident happened around 10:15 p.m. near Sunset Boulevard and Vermont Avenue. Police said the suspect sat next to the victim, a 33-year-old woman, and began to talk to her.

At some point, the suspect began "brandishing a knife and demanding money from her," LAPD said in an earlier statement. "When the victim did not have any money to give the suspect, he sexually assaulted her for several minutes."

Zepeda allegedly fled the bus at a stop near Exposition Park.

Aside from the sex crime charges, Zepeda also is charged with one count of attempted first-degree robbery of a transit passenger. His bail is set at $1.5 million.

Julie Sharp

Julie Sharp is a digital producer at CBS Los Angeles. She is a South Bay native and majored in print journalism at Cal State University Long Beach. Julie previously reported for the Beach Reporter, contributed to the Palos Verdes Pulse and worked as a video journalist for CBS News before joining the CBS News Los Angeles website team.