SAN JOSE — Police have arrested a man they described as a suspected serial rapist in connection with three violent attacks on sex workers in San Jose over the summer, according to the San Jose Police Department.

The third attack, reported Wednesday, occurred as sex-crimes detectives were closing in on the suspect and were securing an arrest warrant for him, police said.

Luis Cuevas Gomez, 24, of Morgan Hill, was arrested Thursday after being allegedly linked by victim statements and DNA evidence to three rapes dating back to June. He was booked Friday into the Santa Clara County Main Jail and is being held without bail.

According to detectives in the SJPD sexual assaults investigation unit, the first attack was reported in the early hours of June 27. The victim reported that she was picked up by the suspect near Keyes and South First streets south of downtown, and that he drove her to the parking lot of a business park off Little Orchard Street in North San Jose.

There, she told detectives that the man hit her repeatedly, raped her, and took her money and phone. She described his vehicle as an older black Toyota Camry, with one wheel rim different from the other three, said sex-crimes unit commander Lt. Brian Anderson.

Anderson said that in addition to the interview, detectives collected forensic evidence from the victim and submitted it to the Santa Clara County crime lab.

Then on July 23, a similar attack occurred following a similar pattern: A woman was picked up in the same area by someone matching the suspect’s description, driven to the same spot in North San Jose, then attacked. Anderson said detectives assigned to each case determined that they might be investigating the same predator.

“From that point on we treated this as a potential serial case,” he said.

Within the next few weeks, results of DNA testing from both attacks were completed, and matched a sample in an FBI law-enforcement database that indicated a potential suspect: Cuevas Gomez.

Anderson said his detectives were in the process of obtaining an arrest warrant for Cuevas Gomez when another attack, involving a similar method and vehicle, was reported early Thursday. A victim who said she was dropped off in downtown San Jose flagged down a bystander and got help calling police, since her cell phone was taken.

Later Thursday, police went to Cuevas Gomez’s home in Morgan Hill, based on the information they had gathered to that point, and spotted the black Camry described by all three victims, Anderson said. Cuevas Gomez was arrested soon after. It was not immediately clear whether he had retained an attorney.

The three known victims were between 18 and 19 years old and were from Fresno, Richmond and Vallejo, police said.

While Cuevas is listed as a Morgan Hill resident, case files in his criminal history described him as a Mexican citizen. His residency status could not be immediately verified. His criminal history in Santa Clara County consists of a citation for soliciting sex, and a domestic violence restraining order filed against him, according to court records.

Even if he was undocumented, police said his known criminal history would not subject him to a state law that allows immigration agents to be notified upon his release from jail. That law covers inmates with a history of serious or violent felonies or felonies punishable by state prison. Santa Clara County’s policies are stricter and no notifications are made. The policy is currently the subject of a lawsuit seeking an injunction of the sanctuary policy.

But it also was not immediately clear why the DNA of Cuevas Gomez was in the federal database; compulsory DNA collection is typically required after a felony arrest in California.

Anderson said his detectives believe there could be more rape victims who are afraid to come forward out of distrust of law enforcement, given how sex work has historically been treated by the police.

“They are a very vulnerable part of our society, and are targets of extreme violence,” he said.

Anyone with information about the case can contact Detective Sean Ancelet or Detective John Tran 408-277-4104 or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers 408-947-STOP or at svcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.