PASADENA, Texas – A high school student was arrested and charged with aggravated sexual assault in connection with a string of rapes between Pasadena and Missouri City, police said.
Carlos Eduardo Guevara, 18, is also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Guevara is due in court Friday night.
Investigators said Guevara raped at least two women.
Choosing victims
Pasadena police said Guevara picked his victims as they were leaving Fitness Connection gyms. Investigators said he previously worked out at the Fitness Connection at the intersection of Fondren Road and Bissonnet Street.
That's where he picked his first target, according to police.
The first attack happened April 1. The rape victim told investigators she left the gym around 11:45 p.m. and was confronted by a man as she pulled up to her Missouri City home.
"As she was parking her vehicle in the driveway, she was confronted by an armed suspect who forced his way into her vehicle, (then) made her drive around the corner to a street where he sexually assaulted her," said Lt. Paul Poulton, of the Missouri City Police Department.
Guevara wore a black ski mask to hide his identity during the attacks, police said. The mask was recovered from his home after his arrest.
Almost another victim
A woman came forward and said she would have been the third known victim of Guevara, but she was able to escape.
"The only thing I was thinking about was, 'Oh my gosh, he has a gun, He might shoot me," the woman said.
The woman asked not to be identified but said she was able to get away from Guevara after he followed her from the Pasadena Fitness Connection to her Houston home May 2.
"I didn't notice this guy following me until I made it home," she said.
She said he parked his green Ford Mustang on her street before approaching her car.
"The next thing I know, the guy was standing there next to me," she said. "I screamed so loud and I started honking the horn and that's when he looked around and took off running."
The woman was happy to know Guevara is off the streets.
"I'm feeling a lot better knowing he's not out there anymore," she said.
VIDEO: Pasadena police give update after rape suspect arrested, charged
Tip leads to arrest
Earlier this week, while police were alerting the public of the assailant, they told the public to be aware of a green Ford Mustang with a unique front-side panel. A Crime Stoppers tip led investigators to his Southwest Houston home Thursday.
When police apprehended Guevara, they said he had sandpaper and paint swatches in his pocket that he was using in an attempt to alter his vehicle.
"He said he had gone to Autozone to get paint because he was afraid police would find out his car was the one from Pasadena," Pasadena police Detective Sebastian Mata said.
Police said as they were closing in on leads, Guevara sent a link to a news story to his father and told him not to suspect him if he saw it.
"He sent a text with, 'Hey, if you see this news story, it's not me,'" Pasadena police Chief Josh Bruegger said.
Guevara confesses
When investigators questioned Guevara, they said he admitted to the crimes and said the gun he had used in the attacks was fake. Detectives said Guevara showed remorse but didn't provide a motive for the attacks.
Guevara has no prior criminal record and otherwise had no reason to be on detectives' radar. Guevara's father said his son was a student at Westbury High School. Police said he had a student identification card to the school.
The Houston Independent School District said it could neither confirm nor deny he was a student, citing privacy rules.
Guevara's father speaks
Jose Guevara, Carlos Guevara's father, spoke about the allegations against his son on Friday. He said he is confused by the situation and can't believe his son would commit such heinous crimes.
"I don't know what is happening and what my son is being accused of doing because I brought him to the United States to study. I really don't know what is happening," Guevara's father said in the interview.
Guevara's bond was set at $30,000 on the aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge. No bond amount has been announced for the aggravated sexual assault charge. He is due in court Monday.