Clark University Student Robbed, Sexually Assaulted
WORCESTER (CBS) - A Clark University student reported that she was sexually assaulted and robbed on campus early Thursday morning.
The 20-year-old female victim told police that she was walking back from a friend's dorm at around 3:30 a.m. when she was approached by a dark-colored sedan on Clifton Street.
The men in the vehicle started talking to the victim, but she ignored them at first, police said. The victim said a man in the backseat got out and pulled her into the car.
WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong reports
"The person in the back seat opened up the door, forced her into the car, held her down, slapped her in the face, and robbed her of her purse and at the same time also sexually assaulted her," explained Worcester Police Sergeant Kerry Hazelhurst.
The vehicle then dropped the victim off at Hollywood Street. She was not injured, but was taken to a local hospital for an evaluation.
The suspect in the back seat is described as a dark-skinned male wearing a dark sweater and black hat. The victim described the front-seat passenger as a Hispanic male with dark hair, but was unable to provide a description of the driver.
Clark University senior Laura Hansen relies on her dog Woozel when she walks alone at night. She stays on well-lit paths around the Worcester campus, but the news of what happened to one of her classmates early Thursday morning still makes her worry, no matter how rare such incidents are.
"I'm sure many people have had four or five years at Clark where nothing has ever happened to them and they've only gotten timely warnings," Hansen said, adding she finds this case, "disturbing on so many levels, especially as a woman."
Clark University police and Worcester authorities are working together to find those men. Anyone with information is asked to call police.
WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong contributed to this report.
