Alleged French Valley Rapist Must Stand Trial

A man accused of sexually assaulting a French Valley woman and leading law enforcement officers on a 100-mile chase across the desert must stand trial on rape and other charges, a judge ruled today.

Bryan Mayo Tangas, 23, could face 10 years in prison if convicted of forcible rape, false imprisonment and reckless evading in connection with the alleged Feb. 12 attack.

Following a 90-minute preliminary hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Angel Bermudez ruled sufficient evidence was presented to proceed to trial.

The judge set a post-indictment arraignment for May 1 and left the defendant's bail set at $200,000. Tangas is being held at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta.

RELATED: Bail was previously denied for the alleged rapist.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Kevin McDonald, a French Valley woman called deputies shortly after 5 a.m. on Feb. 12 and alleged that a friend had sexually assaulted her at her home in the 32000 block of Dowling Court.

The woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, told deputies that she managed to get away from Tangas, who drove around trying to find her, but couldn't by the time patrol officers arrived.

A deputy searching in the area of Buck and Borrell roads spotted the 6-foot-3, 180-pound defendant, who immediately fled in his car, speeding onto Rancho California Road toward Temecula, where he reached Interstate 15 and headed north, McDonald said.

Deputies turned the pursuit over to California Highway Patrol officers, who chased Tangas at high speed all the way to Barstow, according to McDonald. He said officers deployed spike strips, disabling the defendant's vehicle, at which point he was arrested.