A 71-year-old man who was identified and indicted in May as the suspect in a rape of two women at a Framingham clothing store in 1989 has been arrested in Los Angeles, California, according to multiple reports.
Stephen Paul Gale, who had not been seen in public since 2007 before his arrest Thursday, was wanted on charges of aggravated rape, kidnapping and armed robbery, according to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan’s office.
Ryan’s office did not respond to multiple requests to confirm Gale’s arrest. Los Angeles Police said they could not immediately confirm the reports when speaking to a reporter Friday morning.
Gale’s arrest in L.A. came after he led police on a chase through the city while driving a dark Lincoln SUV, according to KABC7. He was arrested on the 405 freeway after surrendering to police around 5:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
KTLA5 reported that Gale appeared to have difficulty exiting the car and standing on his own. Police put Gale in a wheelchair following his arrest. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.
An L.A. police officer said Gale being taken to a hospital may be the reason his name did not immediately appear in the department’s system.
Gale was identified as a suspect in the rapes through what the district attorney’s office described as “investigative genetic genealogy.”
On Dec. 27, 1989, prosecutors say Gale entered a women’s clothing store on Route 9 in Framingham where two women, 18 and 29, were working.
As the women prepared to open the store, prosecutors say Gale approached one of the women and said he was there to buy clothes and asked for help picking out an outfit.
Then, he showed the woman what he said was a gun and forced the two women into the back of the store, Ryan said.
Gale is accused of forcing the older woman, who was working as a manager at the time, to empty the locked safe at the back of the store, the store’s cash register, and her purse. Prosecutors say he then had the young woman tape a note to the front of the store indicating it would open late that day.
After doing so, Gale is accused of forcing the women into two back rooms, where he demanded they remove their clothes, Ryan said. He is then accused of bringing each woman into the store office, where he sexually assaulted them.
The two women were able to flee the store with their coats through a fire door and ran through backyards in Framingham to a home where they sought aid, according to Ryan.
It is unclear if or when Gale would be returned to Massachusetts to face charges connected to the incident.
