College student assaulted as alleged security lapses let attacker slip onto campus: report
A Florida university’s security is reportedly being questioned after a female student was sexually assaulted by an unknown attacker who allegedly jumped a campus wall earlier this week.
The incident unfolded just after 6 a.m. on Sunday, when authorities say an unknown individual approached the victim, an international student from Colombia, and began whistling at her as she was waiting for a bus near Florida Memorial University's campus in Miami Gardens, according to CBS News Miami.
The victim reportedly retreated to FMU’s school grounds, where a campus security officer verified her student ID and let her in.
However, police say the unknown suspect scaled a campus wall, "followed her and pinned her against a building door," before allegedly sexually assaulting her, Local 10 News reported.
STUDENTS RETURN TO BROWN UNIVERSITY AMID QUESTIONS OVER SECURITY POLICIES THAT ENABLED MASS SHOOTING
The suspect immediately fled the area following the alleged attack.
In a news conference on Monday night, Miami Gardens Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt revealed the investigation has indicated campus security guards may have seen the suspect enter FMU’s campus and pursue the victim but failed to intervene, according to CBS News Miami.
"That's what the investigation is showing at this time," Chief Noel-Pratt reportedly said.
GOV BESHEAR ANNOUNCES REPORTED SHOOTING AT KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY WITH SUSPECT ARRESTED
On Tuesday, authorities announced a person of interest who matched the suspect’s description has been detained in connection with the alleged assault, Local 10 News reported.
According to residents in the area, the man taken into custody has reportedly been loitering around the South Florida neighborhood for several weeks.
"It fit the description: the black, all-black hoodie," resident Myra Passmore told the outlet. "It’s the same attire and again, the same individual that I just saw enter the car that pretty much matched that description and it’s the same person."
"I feel as though we don’t have enough patrolling over here and I’ve been very vocal about that in the past," Passmore added.
Following the incident, Florida Memorial University's president announced the school would be adding increased security measures, including additional patrols and improved lighting around South Florida’s only historically Black university, CBS News Miami reported.
The university currently has roughly 1,800 students enrolled in both undergraduate and graduate programs, according to its website.
FMU and the Miami Gardens Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
However, residents believe the response is too little, too late following the alleged attack on an unsuspecting student.
"We matter. We want protection," Passmore told the outlet. "We want you to patrol our area, not just when crime happens."