UIC Student Sexually Assaulted In Dorm Shower

A University of Illinois at Chicago student was sexually assaulted in a dormitory room shower Monday morning on the Near West Side campus.

The attack happened just after 10 a.m. at the Commons South residence hall, according to a crime alert issued by the university.

Other residents heard the attack and called UIC police, the alert said. The students were able to detain a male suspect until officers arrived, and he is now in police custody.

The suspect is not affiliated with the university, said UIC spokesman Bill Burton, who called it a “brazen crime.”

"We try to look out for each other and these students did," Burton said.

The student is receiving medical care, and campus officials are providing on-site support and counseling to residents, the alert said.

The five-story residence hall at 700 S. Halsted Street houses about 190 undergraduate students, according to UIC’s web site.

"A girl I know lives in the same dorm it happened in. I think it's scary," student Victoria Rodriguez said.

The main entry door to the building is staffed, and other doors lock automatically, Burton said. The building is also equipped with “extensive” video surveillance, he said.

Authorities do not yet know how the suspect got into the building, but the alert urges students to make sure security doors are shut and locked at all times.

"Dont let anybody tailgate in through a door or gate behind you, make sure it closes, if anybody follows you, or follows you in to a building, you need to ask them who they are," Burton said.

UIC police are increasing patrols in residence halls because of the incident. The suspect has not yet been charged.