An attempted murder of a UCLA student in Hollywood and an attempted sexual assault of a different UCLA student – both reported earlier this month – may be related, according to police.
It is unknown whether the two cases are connected but they appear to be similar, said John Elder, a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department.
University police are currently comparing pictures from security cameras of the man connected to the attempted murder to a sketch of the man connected to the attempted assault on campus.
On Jan. 2, a UCLA student told police that a man followed her on the bus from the UCLA campus. When she changed buses, the student told police the man followed her and sat directly across from her, staring at her in a “sexual manner,” Elder said.
The man continued to follow the student when she got off the bus at about 7 p.m. at the corner of Melrose and Normandie avenues in Hollywood, about 10 miles away from campus. The student turned south on Mariposa Avenue and walked into a dark part of the road when the man grabbed her from behind, Elder said.
The man reportedly began to strangle the student and pulled her to the ground. The lights from a passing car that slowed down when seeing the struggle caused the man to flee east to an unknown location, Elder said.
He added that, during the struggle, the student received a cut to her neck from a sharp object and had to get 13 stitches.
Less than a week later, on Jan 7., a different UCLA student was grabbed from behind near the walkway between the Engineering IV building and Parking Structure 9 by a man with a similar description as the man who attacked the student in Hollywood.
In this instance, the man hugged the student tightly and told her that he intended to sexually assault her before pulling her to the ground, according to Daily Bruin archives. The student escaped the man and was not injured, police said.
The attempted sexual assault occurred a block away from where the student who was strangled and stabbed works, Elder said.
LAPD is sending university police pictures from security cameras of the man in connection with the attempted murder to compare to a sketch of the man in connection with the attempted assault on campus, Elder said.
The man in connection with the attempted murder is described as having light-colored skin, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, medium build and dark hair.
The man in connection with the attempted sexual assault was described by police as light-skinned, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, with a thin build and short dark hair.
Police recommend students remain aware of their surroundings and avoid walking in dark places alone.
Anyone with information about the information can contact UCPD at 310-825-1491 or LAPD at 877-ASK-LAPD.
Compiled by Erin Donnelly, Bruin senior staff.