Police are looking at a 22-year-old Colorado Springs resident in connection with a string of sexual assaults in which women were threatened with a knife, police said.
Shawn E. Lovett is being held at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center as a suspect in an attack on a woman at a bus stop last week, Colorado Springs police said.
The 26-year-old woman was waiting for a bus at about 8:30 p.m. Nov. 27 at the Citadel Mall when a man threatened her with a knife and attacked her, police said.
The victim struggled with her assailant and fled. Patrol officers used dogs and a helicopter to track the suspect to a nearby restaurant, police said.
The woman has identified Lovett, who was in the restaurant, as her attacker. Police said they found a knife near the restaurant.
Investigators are also looking at Lovett as a suspect in two similar attacks.
At about 9:20 p.m. on Nov. 17 a woman waiting for a bus on South Nevada Avenue was attacked and sexually assaulted by a man wielding a knife, police said. The man lead the woman to a nearby alley where the attack took place.
At about 2 a.m. on Oct. 31 a 22-year-old woman gave a ride to a man who approached her at a convenience store near South Nevada Avenue and Cimarron Street, police said.
The man directed the woman driver to a side street where he strangled her and threatened to kill her, police said.
The assailant had the woman disrobe and tried to sexually assault her, police said. The woman began to scream and fought off her attacker to escape.
Investigators are looking at Lovett as a suspect in all three attacks, police said. They have not released his photograph, as they are continuing to investigate his possible involvement in other assaults.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
