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The Rice Thresher
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by Aalok Mehta thresher staff An unsuccessful attack on a jogger running the Outer Loop has increased University Police's concerns about safety around campus. An unarmed man attempted to sneak up behind a runner and grab her in the early morning of Oct. 14, but she fended him off. The suspect has not been apprehended, Police Chief Bill Taylor said. The victim described the attacker as a Hispanic male, around four feet, 10 inches tall, aged 16-20 but possibly older, with a thin face, thin build and no facial hair. He was seen wearing a white cap, white shirt, blue shorts and white running shoes. The victim, a frequent morning jogger on the Outer Loop, was running alone that morning east on Rice Boulevard between Entrances 16 and 17 when she heard another runner come up behind her. "She's for sure that he came out of the bushes," Cpl. Alex Adames, who took her statement, said. Though she moved to the other side of the track to let him pass, he continued to follow her. When she turned around to see what was happening, she saw a hand reaching for her neck. The attacker then grabbed her arm and tried to pull her along. She pushed him off, scratching at his face but instead ripping his T-shirt and falling in the process. She told the attacker that she was calling the police, at which point he fled, Adames said. The victim ran toward Main Street screaming for help and came across some other joggers who saw she was bleeding and walked her to the police station by 6:15 a.m. Police estimate that the attack occurred around 5:35 a.m. The victim was treated for the injuries sustained in her fall by Rice Emergency Medical Technicians, but said she would drive herself to the hospital for further treatment. Officers were immediately dispatched to search the area but were unable to find any trace of the attacker. The victim was not affiliated with Rice. "She wasn't aware of the blue phones on campus," Adames said. "She could have picked one up and we would have been there right away." She added that the torn shirt would have made it easier for them to find the attacker. By 2 p.m. after the incident occurred, University Police started posting "Campus Crime Alert" fliers warning students, staff and faculty of the incident, along with safety precautions. "When something occurs that threatens another person, we are very, very concerned and we try to make as timely a notice as possible," Taylor said. University Police are making several safety recommendations in light of the incident. "Any time of the day, [it] is a good idea to run with a partner," Taylor said. He also suggested that runners use the Inner Loop at night. "We feel that we can control the environment inside the hedges better than outside them," he said. Finally, he added that runners should be aware of their surroundings - which includes not wearing headphones. "That's one of the things we're really frightened of, people who isolate themselves like that. If she had been wearing a headset and headphones, [the victim] might have been attacked and might not have been able to ward off her attacker."
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