[LASD] – On Tuesday, Nov. 6, at approximately 6 p.m., deputies from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station responded to a call for service from a female who reported she had been raped. The caller, a 16-year-old, told deputies she was walking on a bicycle path near College of the Canyons towards the bus transfer station when she was grabbed by two males. She said she was rendered unconscious after a cloth was placed over her mouth and was taken to another area where she was sexually assaulted.

Patrol deputies immediately notified detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Bureau and an extensive investigation was initiated. Based on the fact the alleged victim was a student in the area, and the seriousness of the crime she was reporting, one local school district opted to make notifications of the incident to faculty and parents.

The investigation continued throughout the night and numerous resources were utilized in an effort to identify and apprehend the alleged dangerous perpetrators.

Detectives continued their investigation throughout the day today and conducted an additional interview with the alleged victim. Early this afternoon, the alleged victim recanted her statements and admitted to fabricating the entire story. She told detectives that she made up the incident to hide the fact she was not home on time and did not want to get in trouble with her legal guardians.

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station personnel respond to more than 55,000 calls for service annually and take every report of crime, especially those involving violent assaults, very seriously. Station officials would like to remind all residents that false reports of emergencies or crimes are a violation of the law. Using the legal system in this manner takes valuable resources from those who are truly in need and can cause undue fear to the public.

“Using the legal system to make false claims and carry out personal agendas can have serious ramifications,” said Captain Paul Becker of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. “There are people in our community who truly need our help. They shouldn’t have to wait just because a person decides to inappropriately abuse the public safety system,” he concluded.

Charges have not yet been filed on the juvenile in this case. The investigation is ongoing and there is no further information available at this time.