Former student breaks into college apartment and rapes three students, Utah cops say

A 22-year-old man was arrested after being accused of raping three college students in a campus apartment building, Utah officials said.

On Nov. 1, Utah Tech University police got a call about a woman who was awakened by a man, later identified as Alex Gabriel Barajas, holding her down while not wearing any pants, officials told KSL.

Security footage showed Barajas attempting to open all 16 doors on the all-girls floor in St. George with three of those successfully opening, police told KUTV.

Barajas, who was not enrolled at the university during the time, is also accused of sexually assaulting two other girls, one of them being a 17-year-old, over the course of 45 minutes, police told KSTU.

After the sexual assaults, Barajas approached male students and asked them for a ride, saying “he needed to get out of town,” according to the affidavit obtained by KSL.

Seth Gubler, executive director of housing at Utah Tech University, said the campus has taken further precautions to ensure the safety of the students by setting rules, such as getting approval from all roommates if a guest plans to spend the night, KUTV reported.

McClatchy News reached out to the university for a statement on Nov. 5 and was awaiting a response.

Barajas was eventually arrested and charged with three counts of rape, three counts of burglary of a dwelling, and two counts of lewdness, according to jail records.

St. George is about a 300-mile drive southwest of Salt Lake City.

This story was originally published November 6, 2024 at 11:07 AM with the headline "Former student breaks into college apartment and rapes three students, Utah cops say."