OAKLAND — A San Francisco man has been charged with sexually assaulting and beating a sex worker in West Oakland last year, just two days after the suspect was released on bail in a robbery case, court records show.
Kevin Lavender, 29, was charged with forcible oral copulation and forcible sodomy in concert, assault with a firearm, and criminal threats, all related to an Oct. 25 attack. Police say the entire thing was caught on surveillance footage, which reportedly showed Lavender and another man stripping, sexually assaulting, beating, and spitting on the victim, while screaming, “where is the (expletive) money?”. The second suspect has not been identified, authorities say.
The attack occurred on Mandela Parkway and 34th Street, authorities said. A security guard witnessed what was going on and called police, who were later able to obtain security footage showing the entire attack, according to court records.
The alleged victim identified Lavender from a photo lineup, telling police, “I could have died.” The victim’s blood was found on Lavender’s shoes, confirmed through a DNA test, authorities allege.
At the time of the attack, Lavender had been out of jail for two days, after posting $60,000 bail in a pending robbery case. That involved allegations that he broke into a liquor cabinet in an Oakland Safeway, then pulled up his shirt to expose the butt of a gun when a security guard accosted him. He allegedly told the guard it was “going to be the worst day of your life,” and then was allowed to leave with several bottles of liquor.
Charges in the sexual assault were filed last March, and he was subsequently released on $25,000 bail. Lavender’s preliminary hearing began in early May, but court records say he failed to make a May 4 court appearance and a judge issued a warrant for his arrest. A summary judgment hearing to forfeit his bail has been set for November, court records show.
Last December, San Francisco police named Lavender and several others as members of a suspected “prolific” theft crew that stole liquor from businesses. They were arrested in that city on theft and gun possession charges, a police news release says. In the sexual assault investigation, Oakland police say they raided Lavender’s San Francisco home and found two pistols, one of which appeared similar to a gun that was used to beat the victim.
Police have identified several persons of interest as being the potential second suspect, including one who turned out to have a solid alibi: He has been in prison since 2024 for first degree murder, court records show.