A woman was raped in her off-campus apartment by an unidentifiedman on Jan. 11.

Between 7:10 a.m. and 7:25 a.m., the woman was sleeping in herapartment, located at 5420 55th Street, when she woke up to find theman in her apartment. She asked him what he was doing there. He toldher he hada knife, that he didn’t want to use it, and that she should do as shewas told.

Police think the suspect entered the apartment from an unlockeddoor. The victim’s roommate left the apartment at about 7 a.m. andwas not sure if the sliding-glass door was locked. After the crime,the suspect left in an unknown direction.

The suspect is described as a white male, between 20 and 25 yearsold, between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall and between160 and 180. He was wearing a black hooded jacket, dark pants and ablack mask of some sort.

The crime is similar to two other recent rape cases in Ocean Beachand Allied Gardens. Detectives are awaiting forensic results to seeif the rapist is the same.

Another rape occurred in a parking lot on Lindo Paseo Jan. 19. Thesuspect in that case is described as a black man, in his late 20s.Police do not know if the two College-Area rapes are related.

Police said anyone who’s been the victim of a rape should contactthe San Diego Police Department Sex Crimes Unit at 531-2325 or theUniversity Police at 594-1991.