INFORMATIONAL MESSAGE FROM ALERT CAROLINA:  Assault Reported on Trail near Chapel Hill Community Center

A female UNC student reported that she was the victim of an assault by a male while running on an off-campus trail near the Chapel Hill Community Center shortly before 3 p.m. yesterday (Thursday, Dec. 13).

The victim told the Town of Chapel Hill Police that she had left on a run from campus on the Battle Branch Trail that runs down the hill from UNC’s Forest Theater.  About 15 minutes later near the Chapel Hill Community Center, a male approached her and tried to grab her, but she was able to free herself and run away.  No weapon was reportedly seen.

The suspect is described as an Asian or Hispanic male, 5 foot, 6 inches tall, with dark hair. He was wearing an orange T-shirt.  No further information is currently available.

Chapel Hill Police are asking anyone with information that may help to identify the suspect to contact the Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC Crime Stoppers at (919) 942-7515.  Calls are confidential and anonymous. You can also submit information to Crime Stoppers online at www.crimestoppers-chcunc.org.

Continue to monitor Alert Carolina website (alertcarolina.unc.edu) for any updates in the investigation into this incident.  Call 911 immediately to report any and all suspicious activity.  For a list of safety tips, see the following link through the Alert Carolina page: http://www.alertcarolina.unc.edu/go/doc/1395/158078/

About Informational Messages: The University sends an Informational Message to inform the campus community about a situation that is not an emergency, but is expected to be of significant interest to the campus.

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