Man arrested on suspicion of beating and raping a woman at a bus stop

62-year-old victim remains hospitalized, faces a ‘long recovery’

SAN MATEO >> Authorities on Tuesday arrested a 27-yearold homeless man on suspicion of beating and raping a 62-year-old woman while she waited for a bus in San Mateo.

The suspect, identified as Alejandro Vanegas Guevara, was arrested in Redwood City without incident, said San Mateo Police Chief Ed Barberini at a news conference.

“This is a particularly brutal and savage crime, and not one we often see or will tolerate in our city,” Barberini said.

The victim remains hospitalized.

“She is still being treated,” said police Lt.

Todd Mefford. “She has a long recovery ahead of her.”

The victim is the sole provider for her two young sons and 90-year-old mother, and the sudden loss of income has left the family reeling, according to the San Mateo Police Officers’ Association. The union on Tuesday announced it is raising money for the family through its crime survivors fund — sanmateopoa.org/crime-survivorfund — and GoFundMe.

“Their monthly rent is past due, utility bills are coming in and she still has mouths to feed,” the union said in a news release.

Mefford said the victim was heading home from work when she was attacked at a bus stop near South El Camino Real and Ninth Avenue about 10:40 p.m. Aug. 5. She was beaten, raped and, at some point, knocked unconscious, according to police.

Detectives eventually identified Guevara as a suspect in the case after reviewing hours of video footage and hundreds of crime tips, Mefford said. Shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday, Guevara was arrested on the 100 block of Wayne Court in Redwood City.

Guevara was expected to be booked into San Mateo County jail on felony charges including forcible rape, assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping, according to police.

The victim and the suspect did not know each other, said Mefford, who noted that stranger abduction-rape cases are rare in San Mateo.