San Diego man arrested in attacks targeting Asian women

San Diego police have arrested a suspect in a string of home invasions and sexual assaults that targeted Asian women, authorities said today.

Thomas Parker, 39, who owns a cafe in the Little Italy section of San Diego, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of attacking a white woman in the Mission Valley area. The victim was a marathon runner who chased Parker after fighting him off, officials said. Off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agents assisted in the arrest.

Parker will be charged in the attack and that of six Asian women stretching back to June 2008. Officials said DNA tests linked him to the other attacks.

Most of the attacks occurred in Carmel Valley, Tierrasanta, Mid-City and La Jolla, officials said. In most of the cases, the victims had only recently returned home and were confronted by a man who brandished a knife and demanded money. The attacker often sneaked into the women's homes through an open garage, authorities said.

Parker has been booked in county jail in downtown San Diego.

—Tony Perry