Students at UBC say they’re concerned about their safety after a brazen attack against a young student, the latest in a string of terrifying incidents at the campus.
A young woman was confronted in the lobby of Totem Park Residence around 1 a.m. Wednesday, grabbed by her neck and dragged outside to a poorly-lit area.
She managed to break free from her attacker. A bystander helped chase down the suspect, who was eventually nabbed by a campus security officer on a bicycle.
First-year student Daphne Chao heard the commotion and said it was “terrifying.”
“I could hear how the girl was really, really scared. She was screaming at the top of her lungs. She was crying,” Chao told CTV Morning Live.
Chao said she saw members of campus security chasing someone before the arrest, and she’s relieved a suspect was apprehended.
“Still makes me feel iffy when I’m walking home,” she said.
A 27-year-old UBC student is charged with sexual assault and assault against a police officer.
Daniel Lai, also a first-year student, says the person taken into custody lives in the residence.
“I saw all the lights,” he said. “All of my friends saw that the arrest actually taking place because he’s on the sixth floor of my building.”
Just last month, an 18-year-old female student was grabbed as she tried to enter her building.
In 2013, six female students were attacked while walking alone at night. Police believe the same suspect was behind all six attacks.
RCMP say the latest attack is not linked to any other incident.
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Nafeesa Karim
