SAN MARCOS, Texas – For the third time in just over a week, police say an armed man broke into an apartment in San Marcos.
Thursday's case led to another sexual assault, and the search for the suspect is intensifying.
Police said the descriptions of the suspect in all three cases closely match one another.
Officers say Thursday's case happened at The Retreat apartment complex. The others happened at the Capstone Cottages apartment complex.
Police said a man broke into a unit at The Retreat apartments on Ranch Road 12 around 4 p.m., sexually assaulted a victim and ran off.
Shortly after the assault Thursday, police closed off roads just north of The Retreat to search the area. Students said police had their guns drawn and towed away a suspicious car.
“They had really big assault rifles,” said Claudia Pharr, a Texas State University student who lives off campus.
“(Police) were towing the car away from the driveway, and the back window was broken in and there were no license plates,” said Morgan Kehrberg, another student from Texas State.
After the car was towed, police continued their search about a mile away from The Retreat in a brush-filled private property by using a drone.
Students who live off campus told KSAT the incidents are alarming to them and they are being extra cautious.
Police said there were similar incidents involving the same suspect description at the Capstone Cottages student living complex. Last week, a woman living there said she was sexually assaulted by an armed individual, and on Tuesday, another person was confronted by an armed man, but there was no report of a sexual assault in that case.
Police are expected to give a news conference Friday morning.