A Redwood City cop received praise from his chief today for positively identifying the suspect in the brutal beating and rape of a woman in San Mateo last week.
“The San Mateo Police Department had few viable leads so they opted to broadcast images of the suspect on the local news,” the Redwood City Police Department posted on social media.
Redwood City police Officer Albert Lopez recognized the suspect from a 2018 contact. After Lopez shared the information with San Mateo police, the suspect, identified as 27-year-old transient Alejandro Vanegas Guevara, was arrested in Redwood City.
The attack occurred Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 10:40 p.m. in the area of 9th Avenue and S. El Camino Real, police said.
The victim, a woman in her 60s, was reportedly beaten and raped at a bus stop after leaving work. As of Tuesday, she remained hospitalized at a local trauma center. Surveillance video from a taqueria near downtown provided clear video of Guevara, police said. San Mateo Police Chief Ed Barberini also credited residents of San Mateo for numerous tips and information.
The victim is “the sole provider for her two young boys and 90-year-old frail mother” and is being treated for serious injuries at a local trauma center, police said.
The San Mateo Police Officers’ Association has launched a fundraising effort to support the woman, described as “the sole provider for her two young boys and 90-year-old frail mother.”
The GoFundMe fundraiser had raised over $68,000 in two days.
Barberini said the victim has a “long road ahead, and can truly use your support.”
