A San Francisco judge agreed on Wednesday to let a case proceed against the alleged "Rideshare Rapist" with DNA evidence that the defense had argued was improperly obtained.
Orlando Vilchez Lazo, 38, had wanted the judge to throw out the warrants that led to his arrest and DNA collected from what his public defender claimed was a bogus DUI stop in 2018. The DNA evidence allegedly tied him to at least four rapes of women in 2013 and 2018.
Police accuse Vilchez Lazo of posing as a Lyft driver to pick up intoxicated women leaving nightclubs in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood with the intention of sexually assaulting them.
Deputy Public Defender Sandy Feinland, had said the police stopped Vilchez Lazo as a ruse to compare his genetic material from a Breathalyzer test with the evidence collected from the unsolved rapes.
The arrest warrants were obtained illegally, as well, according to Feinland.
But Superior Court Judge Newton Lam denied the attorney's motion, saying he believed officers had probable cause to pull Vilchez Lazo over because law enforcement observed what they believed was a suspicious vehicle.
A preliminary hearing on the case has been set for July 31.
