A woman has reported being sexually assaulted at knifepoint near Drake Stadium Thursday night.
According to a crime alert from university police, the sexual assault occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. The suspect allegedly took out a knife and held it against the victim’s stomach while fondling her breasts, and then forced the victim to stimulate his genitals. The victim was able to get away from the suspect within minutes and ran from the scene unharmed.
The incident is still under investigation.
The suspect was described as a Hispanic male in his late 20s, 5 feet 9 inches and 190 pounds, with a muscular build and short black hair shaved on the sides, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and jeans.
University officials said Thursday’s crime was an isolated incident.
“That kind of crime is never normal,” said Nancy Greenstein, director of police community services for the UCPD. “Fortunately, these types of occurrences don’t happen on our campus too often.”
After any incident of serious crime the UCPD increases its patrol of the area, Greenstein said.
Students can also be proactive about their personal safety while walking home.
“In general, victims are usually alone. That’s why we recommend students walk with friends and use the CSO escort service,” Greenstein said.
Officials said in such incidents victims should contact authorities as soon as possible because if the perpetrator is still in the area, they can be found, Greenstein said.
Personal safety is very important for students who work or study during late hours.
Sidra Anees, a student worker at Powell Library who works during the evenings, said she usually feels safe walking home alone, but also said there should be more measures to prevent sexual assault from occurring.
“We recommend students walk in groups because there is force in numbers, and that deters most possibilities that can occur,” said Carlos Silva, a community service officer.
There are also services such as the CSO escort program that can help students who want someone to walk them to their dorms or apartments.
“I will always recommend an escort because we carry communication,” Silva added. “We also do multiple walks at a time.”
The CSO escort system is available year-round until 2 a.m. The amount of time it takes for them to walk students to their dorms or apartments depends on the number of officers working the shift hours and their current locations, Silva said.
Students use the services more often during midterms and finals, but Silva recommends using them on a daily basis.
There are also other services to take students home.
“There are the van services and they have a specific group they will take to accommodate students,” Silva said.
Even though Anees said she usually feels safe, she considered the possibility of using the CSO program to stay safe while walking home.
“I don’t use the CSO escort program when I walk home,” Anees said. “But I am more inclined to use the program after hearing about the incident.”