Serial rape suspect wanted in 1989 Massachusetts case arrested in L.A. after police chase

A suspected serial rapist wanted in connection with the rape of two women in Massachusetts in 1989 was arrested in Los Angeles on Thursday following a lengthy police chase.

Officers located the suspect, Stephen Paul Gale, 71, who was driving a dark SUV, shortly after 4 p.m. in the Wilmington area and began their pursuit, according to U.S. Marshals.

Gale led police onto the 110 and 405 freeways, eventually exiting the freeway onto surface streets on L.A.’s Westside while driving at a moderate speed, KTLA5-TV and ABC7-TV reported.

The hour and a half pursuit came to an end on Medical Plaza Drive in Westwood near Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, said Kevin Terzes, spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department.

Police surrounded the driver’s vehicle with guns drawn, KTLA5 reported. The driver surrendered and was taken into custody.

His arrest was the result of a decades-long nationwide manhunt for Gale, who was charged with aggravated rape and kidnapping of two women in Massachusetts in 1989.

He was recently identified through genetic genealogy as a suspect in a series of rapes in Boston from 1989-90, authorities said.

At the time of the incidents, Gale’s identity was unknown and he was referred to simply as the “Boston Strip Mall Rapist.”

Gale had been on the run for years before he was finally identified as the suspect in the 1989 case, according to federal authorities. He had last been seen in public in 2008.

In May, the U.S. Marshals Office released a wanted announcement for Gale in connection with the 1989 case and a reward for his capture of up to $5,000. In addition, the announcement said Gale was also wanted for questioning in connection with the series of rapes in the greater Boston area.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.