At 1:40 a.m. on Saturday a University of Washington female student was assaulted while walking from the Ridgeway Complex to the 12A parking lot.

The assault took place on the stairs to the parking lot on East College Way, across the street from the flag poles near the Academic Instruction Center.

Chief of University Police Randy Stegmeier said he has received a couple of calls from people who were in the area during the assault, but there are currently no solid leads to the identity of the suspect.  

The female, a student from UW-Tacoma, had been visiting friends in Highland Hall and was walking to her car by herself, Stegmeier said.

The suspect grabbed her buttocks while the victim was walking down the stairs. The victim turned around and began yelling, and the suspect then struck her in the face twice, Stegmeier said.

University Police used a K9 unit to find the track of the possible suspect, but the K9 unit could not pick up a scent.

“She didn’t get a really good look at the suspect,” Stegmeier said.

She saw enough to confirm he was male and was wearing a dark-colored, hooded sweatshirt, he said.

The victim immediately called her boyfriend who was visiting friends in the Fairhaven residence hall.

A Fairhaven resident adviser saw the victim and her boyfriend and called University Police.

“When things like this happen we like to take advantage of the unfortunate circumstance to remind students to walk in pairs,” Stegmeier said.

Stegmeier encourages students who are walking alone to call University Police to ask for a Green Coat escort to their car or residence hall.

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