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By Lookout Staff

November 9 -- A teenage day laborer charged with brutally attacking and raping a woman in her Santa Monica condo will stand trial, a Superior Court Judge ruled Wednesday.

Judge Antonio Barreto Jr. ruled that there was enough evidence to bring 18-year-old Luis Mario Lopez to trial on allegations that he broke into the victim’s home, raped her, then fled in her car.

Lopez -- who was a few days short of his 18th birthday -- was being prosecuted as an adult and charged with nine felonies including forcible rape and residential burglary.

Lopez was arrested September 28 in his hometown of Oxnard while driving the victim's Mercedes Benz convertible, police said.

He fled her home on the 1100 block of Princeton Avenue after repeatedly attacking the woman over a four-hour period. The victim suffered injuries including a broken nose.

Santa Monica Police Chief Tim Jackman called the attack "vicious and brutal” and said the victim was specifically targeted by her assailant.

Detectives believe the suspect -- who entered the home through a doggie door -- knew the victim after she hired him to do some handiwork at her townhouse, police said.

After arresting Lopez, police recovered evidence from the vehicle, as well as from his residence, linking him to the crime, police said.

Lopez faces multiple life prison terms if convicted, according to the District Attorney's Office.