MA fugitive known as the 'Bad Breath Rapist' arrested in Bay Area after 17 years on the run

DANVILLE, Calif. (KGO) -- A Massachusetts fugitive known as the "Bad Breath Rapist" who had been on the run for 17 years has been arrested in the East Bay.

Tuen Kit Lee was arrested Tuesday in Danville. He was found guilty of the kidnapping and rape of a young woman in Massachusetts. But he fled during his trial in 2007.

The media had dubbed Lee the "Bad Breath Rapist" because that was how his victim was able to identify him.

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"This is incredibly special to be getting this guy off the streets," said Quincy Police Chief Mark Kennedy. "It was a real gut punch when he left. But our detectives never gave and up and we are happy we have him now."

The victim worked in Lee's family restaurant. According to Kennedy, Lee showed up at her house one night dressed in black and assaulted her at knifepoint. The victim described him as having really bad breath.

"She couldn't tell any physical description or anything but he had really bad breath," Kennedy said. "She referenced 'like my boss.'"

Officials say earlier this year, images on social media showed a man who investigators believed was Lee. They connected those images to a home in Diablo.

The U.S. Marshals were able to arrest him following a traffic stop. Kennedy says they had been monitoring him for a while.

"He had a pretty regular routine," he said. "They came up with a plan out there that they were going to effect a motor vehicle stop and take him into custody."

Lee had been missing for almost 17 years. Kennedy says he was in California for at least 10 years and living under a fake name. Neighbors say it was a shock to hear the news.

"He was actually apprehended very close to where I live," said Laura Markstein, a former neighbor of Lee. "The thought that someone had been living there a very long time is pretty scary."

Markstein says she didn't know Lee, and she is happy he is no longer her neighbor.

"I am just certainly glad he's caught," she said. "Hopefully they will hold him accountable and the victim will feel some justice."

Lee is expected to be extradited back to Massachusetts this week, according to the Quincy Police Department.