There's a new warning for women in the East Bay after an apparent serial rapist struck again.
A woman was assaulted in her apartment in unincorporated Walnut Creek Tuesday morning in an incident that might be linked to a rape and an attempted rape that were reported in the same apartment complex in June and July, a spokesman for the sheriff's office said.
The attack happened at about 8:30 a.m. at the Park Regency Apartments in the 3100 block of Oak Road, Contra Costa County sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said.
A 25-year-old woman was sleeping when a man broke into her apartment and tried to attack her. The intruder covered her mouth with his hand and threatened the woman, ordering her to not scream, police say.
The woman was able to break free and the intruder fled. Investigators don't know how the man got into the apartment because the woman's door was locked, they said.
The attacker was described as a black man about 6 feet 2 inches tall and about 200 pounds. He had facial hair and was wearing dark jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt, Lee said.
On June 30, a man knocked on a woman's door and asked for a glass of water. While she was getting him some water, the man entered the apartment and covered the victim's mouth with his hand. The victim struggled, pushed the suspect away and screamed, which alerted her boyfriend. The man fled before police arrived.
Then on July 6, a man entered an apartment in the complex through an unlocked front door and raped a 23-year-old woman. The victim had been alone at the time and woke up to find the man in her room.
The sheriff's office is warning residents to keep their doors and windows locked and not open the door for strangers. Residents should call police if they see anyone suspicious.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
