Former Taxi Driver Convicted of Attacks on 4 Women

A Hollywood man was convicted Friday of attacks on four homeless women in 2008, including two who were sexually assaulted in a taxi he was driving.

The Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated about 3 1/2 hours before finding 41-year-old Eric Lamont Clay guilty of five counts of forcible oral copulation and one count each of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and attempted forcible oral copulation, according to Deputy District Attorney Gloria Marin.

The victims were in their 50s and 60s and each had gotten into the cab consensually in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles before being driven to isolated areas nearby, where they were attacked inside the vehicle between July 2008 and November 2008, according to the prosecutor.

Clay was arrested in January 2009 near Seventh Street and Central Avenue after a woman flagged down police and told them she saw a man in a taxi who resembled a composite sketch of the assailant that had been circulated by authorities.

Clay -- who has remained jailed since then -- is due back in court for sentencing Oct. 11.

It was not immediately clear how much time he could face behind bars.

Stay connected with Hollywood Patch throughout the day on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to our free daily newsletter for email updates.