Suspect arrested for 2 assaults on Harvard University campus
The suspect wanted for two assaults on the Harvard University campus last week has been arrested, according to police. The suspect, whose name was not released, is facing several charges including assault and battery and kidnapping.
On Tuesday, May 19, a student reported they were assaulted inside Lowell House at about 5:30 p.m. The victim told police "an unknown male" entered the residence hall by following someone else inside. The suspect then allegedly approached the victim from behind, covered their mouth, and attempted to force them into their room. The suspect fled the area when the victim screamed, and other nearby residents exited their rooms.
After Harvard University Police sent out an alert to the community, another person came forward to report an assault that occurred about a half hour before the incident at Lowell House.
The victim told police they were approached by a man on the sidewalk on Peabody Terrace at about 5 p.m. The suspect allegedly grabbed the victim's wrist and attempted to pull them toward the gated entrance of a residential building.
"After repeated attempts, the suspect released the victim and fled the area," Harvard University Police said. The victim was not injured and told police they decided to report the incident after receiving the alert about the assault at Lowell House.
Investigators believe the same suspect is involved in both assaults. Harvard University Police said Wakefield Police and the Massachusetts State Police assisted in the arrest.
It is unclear if the suspect is the same person who was "acting suspiciously" and followed a student to the entrance of a residence building on the MIT campus that same day.
