UCPD looks into reported break-in at sorority house

University police are investigating a report of a man entering a sorority house on 862 Hilgard Ave. on Sunday.

The suspect, described as a Hispanic man who is 5 feet, 8 inches and 180 pounds, was in the house around 3 a.m., according to a police statement released Tuesday.

The man touched a student’s face in her bedroom around 3:45 a.m., said the student, who asked to remain anonymous for privacy reasons.

When she woke up a few moments later, she said he was standing in the doorway watching her. She at first thought it was a dream, but felt uneasy about the situation and woke up her roommate. The man then fled from the room.

Brandon Lanthier, a fourth-year civil engineering student, lives in the apartment complex next to the house on 870 Hilgard Ave. He said he saw a man leaving the house at around 3 a.m. through its emergency exit door.

The student said she believes the man re-entered the house shortly after. It appeared the man came through the emergency access door that had a malfunctioning latch, but UCPD is still not entirely certain, said Detective Andrew Ikeda.

Police have yet to identify the man, but they are trying to follow leads based off of a student in the sorority who saw the man and the house’s security videos, Ikeda said,

The student, who is also a Daily Bruin staffer, did not report the incident until noon. She said she did not want to alert the police or the sorority’s house mom if nothing had occurred.

“I didn’t want to believe an intruder was in our house,” she said. “I wanted to believe it was somebody drunk or a girl sneaking in her boyfriend.”

No other students have reported being touched by the man.

Photos were also reportedly taken from inside the house and thrown outside onto the lawn.

Police are also investigating a man allegedly checking door handles and trying to enter apartments Thursday at midnight, also on Hilgard Avenue. The man was described as white, 6 feet and 175 pounds in the report.

Ikeda said it is possible the events are related because there are some similarities in the suspect descriptions, but UCPD is still waiting to hear back from a resident who may have seen the man on Thursday.

He added that it is unusual for sorority houses to be broken into, but there have been past incidents of prowlers in the houses’ backyards.

University police recommend that students routinely lock doors and windows. If students hear or see anything suspicious, they should call police immediately, Ikeda said.

Anyone with information about either incident should contact UCPD at 310-825-1491.

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