Cops say a man kidnapped a acquaintance in Santa Barbara, drove her to an L.A. motel room, raped her, and drove her back.

The suspect was ID'd by Santa Barbara police as 26-year-old Jorge Luis Diaz. Authorities say the 22-year-old victim had a restraining order against Diaz, a registered sex offender, but that it didn't deter him from taking her car, with her in it, and driving to L.A.

It all happened …

… starting at 8:20 a.m. on June 6 when, according to an SBPD statement, “the victim was confronted by Diaz as she walked to her car to go to work.”

He allegedly took over her car and drove the woman to L.A:

There, he obtained a motel room where he raped her. Following the assault, Diaz drove the victim back to Santa Barbara and released her after she promised not to report the incident to the police.

Such a gentleman.

The next day at 11 a.m. Santa Barbara officers caught up with Diaz at his residence at 434 S. Canada Street. They say he had a crack pipe on him. That might explain his side of things:


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When interviewed about the crime Diaz stated that he and the victim had gone to Los Angeles together to go shopping and that their sexual activity was consensual.

Um. It's possible. But authorities don't believe it. They booked him on suspicion of kidnapping with intent to commit rape, rape, oral copulation, violation of said restraining order, and possession of that pipe.

Diaz was being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

Cops were confident. A San Barbara police official we spoke to described it this way: “Case closed.”

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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