A man charged with raping a 62-year-old woman near a San Mateo bus stop on Aug. 5 has been additionally charged with raping two more victims in separate attacks in Redwood City in previous months, prosecutors said.
Alejandro Vanegas Guevara, 27, was arrested at his mother’s home in Redwood City several days after the Aug. 5 attack on a woman at a bus stop at 9th Avenue and S. El Camino Real in San Mateo. At about 10:40 p.m. that night, a passing jogger notified police after seeing a man standing over a woman on the ground near the bus stop, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. The attacker had fled before officers arrived. According to prosecutors, the victim had been sitting at the bus stop when Guevara, a complete stranger, allegedly attacked her, dragged her behind nearby newsstands and sexually assaulted her multiple times, including after he beat her to unconsciousness.
Video surveillance footage shared with the community and media helped identify Guevara as the attacker, prosecutors said. Redwood City police Officer Albert Lopez recognized Guevara from a 2018 contact, leading to the arrest, officials said.
Following his arrest, Guevara was linked to two separate rapes on women in Redwood City, one occurring at 1 a.m. near the mail library, and another occurring just before 11 p.m. June 4 in the Caltrain parking garage, prosecutors said.
On Wednesday, a judge raised his bail to $10 million from the initial $6 million. Guevara has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The case was continued to Nov. 10 to set a preliminary hearing date.
