UC Riverside police plan to beef up patrols after a woman reported being assaulted in a drainage canal on campus this week.
The woman was walking near Parking Lot 13 about 6:15 p.m. Wednesday when a stranger grabbed her arm and pulled her to the ground in the canal between the lot and Big Springs Road, according to a UC Riverside Police Department crime alert.
The attacker was described as about 23 to 25 years old, about 6 feet tall, 210 pounds with a fit build. He had light brown hair and was wearing a red hooded sweatshirt with yellow "CSU" letters across the chest and blue jeans.
The woman kicked her attacker until she freed herself and ran away, leaving her wallet behind, police said.
She got away unharmed, police said.
The incident was reported about an hour later. Police were unable to find the man, and say they'll be adding more patrols to the area.
The drainage canal, which sits on the northeast edge of campus, is choked with weeds and brush and drops a few feet below the pavement.
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Graduate student Agnese Lanzetti said she's worried about being attacked in that spot.
"You don't know who might be hiding in these bushes," she said.
Lot 13 sits close to a range of steep, unlighted hillsides, Lanzetti said the lights weren't bright enough.
"I think that this entire campus is too dark," Lanzetti said. "When I walk at night, I'm not very safe."
A UCR spokesman said that the lighting complaint has been heard before, and the school is looking at ways to fix the problem.
Mayra Lepe, a student, said she hopes it happens before someone else is attacked.
"And it's something they haven't fixed since I was a freshman, and I'm a senior already," she said.
"We encourage everyone to utilize the Campus Escort Service, the Point 2 Point Shuttle, or walk in groups, especially at night," police said in the crime alert.
