Fugitive on the Run for 35 Years Finally Captured Across the Country After Car Chase

A serial rapist who had been on the run for 35 years was finally captured by law enforcement authorities in Los Angeles following an intense car chase.

Knewz.com has learned that the 71-year-old fugitive was fleeing from the authorities in a Lincoln SUV on August 8.

It has been reported that the car chase ended at around 5:30 p.m. local time when the alleged serial rapist surrendered to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Stephen Paul Gale was accused of sexually assaulting two women at gunpoint at a convenience store named Hit or Miss in Framingham, Massachusetts, near Boston , in 1989.

He showed a .357 Magnum handgun to two female employees of the store and forced them to the back of the store, according to reports.

The Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office shared a press release in May 2024 identifying Gale as a suspect and providing a rough detail of his crime .

“He made one victim empty the money from a locked safe, the store’s register and her pocketbook into a bag. He made the second victim lock the doors and put a sign on the front door saying the store would open late,” the press release mentioned.

“The suspect then forced the victims to take off their clothes and placed them in separate rooms. He sexually assaulted both women while holding the gun to their heads.”

“When the suspect returned to the front of the store, the victims fled out the rear fire door to a nearby home,” the press release added.

At the time, police collected evidence from the crime scene, with a DNA sample being subsequently obtained in 2001.

However, there were no DNA matches with the law enforcement database.

“In 2022, as part of the ongoing investigation into this case, Middlesex prosecutors and the Framingham Police contracted with Parabon Nanolabs to conduct an investigative genetic genealogy to try to develop new leads that could help identify the suspect,” the press release explained.

“With this assistance and, after additional police investigation, DNA samples were obtained from known members of the defendant’s family. STR profiles were developed and submitted to Bode Technology for comparison to the suspect sample.”

“This DNA evidence and the statistical results comparing the probability of relatedness provide probable cause to identify Stephen Paul Gale and led to the issuance of today’s arrest warrant,” the statement from the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office read.

The May press release included two pictures of the fugitive—one is an age progress photo created by the FBI of what Gale might look like today, and the other is the latest available picture of the suspect dating back to 1995.

The District Attorney’s Office also offered a list of aliases Gale has been using over the years, adding that his last known residences were in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. It was also reported that he had “ties to Phoenix, Arizona, Texas, Utah, and Florida.”

“He previously has been identified as having ties to organized crime,” the press release further mentioned.

It has been reported that according to the United States Marshals Service, Gale was also wanted for questioning in connection to a series of rapes that happened between 1989 and 1990.

Upon his arrest on Thursday, August 8, following his failed escape attempt, Gale faces a litany of charges including four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of armed robbery.