SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO -- At a news conference Monday afternoon, South San Francisco police announced the arrest of a man suspected of attempting to rape a woman at a South San Francisco business on Thursday, but have yet to connect him to a several area rapes and attempted rapes over the past year.

Early Thursday morning, the woman was attacked inside her business on South Maple Avenue, according to police. She resisted and during a struggle, struck her attacker with a metal object, cutting him above the eye, police reported. After she called 911, the man fled.

After media reports about the attack, a tipster called police saying that a relative, who worked at a body shop in the same business park where the attack occurred, had a coworker with an eye injury similar to the one described by the victim, South San Francisco police Sgt. Joni Lee said today.

Raul Gutierrez Contreras, 28, was arrested Friday after police discovered a warrant for his arrest for driving under the influence and brought him in for questioning.

According to Lee, Contreras admitted to the Thursday assault but has denied involvement in other rapes and attempted rapes over the past year in South San Francisco and Colma.

Lee said Monday that investigators were not "100-percent sure" that Contreras was responsible for a February 2006 rape in Colma, two attempted rapes in South San Francisco's Orange Park in September and November, and a rape on South Linden Avenue in South San Francisco, also in November.

According to Lee, Contreras has many similar characteristics to suspect descriptions in the other attacks, and investigators are waiting to see if they are able to link Contreras' DNA to the evidence collected in those attacks.

Contreras, a transient, will be arraigned this week on several charges, including burglary, assault and battery, false imprisonment and attempted rape, according to Lee.

Contreras remains in custody at the San Mateo County jail in Redwood City. His bail is currently set at $165,000, Lee said.