A man broke into an empty dorm room in a Hedrick Summit suite early Saturday morning, university police said.
One of the residents of the suite, a housing structure in which five rooms share one bathroom and a common area, was exiting the bathroom when she heard rustling coming from a room that she knew was supposed to be vacant for the weekend, said UCPD sergeant Miguel Banuelos.
She called out and opened the door around 12:40 a.m. to find the alleged suspect hiding under the bed, Banuelos said. She screamed, and another resident came and saw the man also.
The suspect is described as a black man, about 6 feet tall, 160 pounds and around 25 years old with short black hair. He was wearing a brown corduroy jacket and a white T-shirt, Banuelos said.
The man backed out of the room when confronted by the residents and ran to the nearest stairwell, Banuelos said.
Banuelos declined to say on what floor the burglary took place because some details of the burglary need to be kept private for the victims’ benefit, he said.
Police do not yet know if anything was stolen because the resident who lives in the room has not returned, he said.
The suspect has not been caught, Banuelos said. Police do not know if he is a resident of the building or was let in by someone else.
Banuelos said police will try to get a sketch of the suspect, and detectives will review video footage on the Hill in case the man can be seen leaving the building.
He encouraged students to close their doors when leaving a room, even if just for a short time.
Anyone who has information about the burglary or saw anything that could be relevant should call UCPD at 310-825-1491.