MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Two men attempted to kidnap a University of Minnesota student early Wednesday morning and one of the men used the victim’s own pepper spray against her, the school said in a crime alert.
The attempted kidnapping happened just minutes after midnight near the intersection of University Avenue Southeast and Oak Street Southeast, just steps from TCF Bank Stadium.
A police report says the student was walking alone when two men approached in a dark blue sedan. The man in the passenger seat asked if the student needed help. When she said no, the man got out of the car and grabbed the student’s arm, pulling her toward the car, the school said.
The student tried to pepper spray the man, but he pushed her to the ground and used the pepper spray on her. The student screamed and then the suspects left, driving east on University Avenue.
The man who grabbed the victim is described as 6-feet, 2-inches tall with a medium build, black with a medium complexion and between the ages of 20 and 25. He was wearing a black, knit stocking cap and a puffy, black jacket.
No description is available for the driver, the school said.
This attempted kidnapping the latest in a number of recent incidents that have prompted crime alerts. Last weekend, students were warned after a man impersonated a police officer and sexually assaulted a student.
Students are now calling for an increased police presence on campus. An online petition calling for just that has already received thousands of signatures.
The university urges students not to walk alone after dark, to be aware of their surroundings and to call 911 immediately after being the victim of (or witness to) a crime.
If you know anything about the attempted kidnapping, call Minneapolis police at 612-692-8477.
(credit: University of Minnesota)
