January 20, 2006

Campus Safety Alert Southern Illinois University Carbondale Jan. 20, 2006

Southern Illinois University Carbondale police are investigating an aggravated battery that occurred at 11:59 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 19, outside the south exit of Morris Library.

A 35-year-old SIUC student told police he was with his wife when he was hit in the face by a black male who earlier was among a group of males in the library's computer laboratory.

The victim told police that he and his wife were also in the computer laboratory at the same time. As they were leaving, three males from the group followed them to the main circulation desk near the south doors. The victim said he and his wife were walking west from the library when the suspect called to the couple and asked them to come back because he wanted to talk to the victim's wife.

The victim told police the suspect became aggressive in trying to get past him to talk to his wife, and the woman ran into the library asking for help. Library personnel called police. As the woman was returning to her husband, the suspect punched the victim in the face, and as the woman was assisting her husband the suspect tried to hit and kick her.

The two other black males with the suspect pulled the suspect away and they ran north from the library.

The victim received minor injuries that did not require medical treatment.

The suspect is a black male, 18-22 years old, with a light complexion, 5 feet, 6 inches tall, 140 pounds. He was wearing a white do-rag and a letter jacket. No descriptions were available for the other two black males.

Anyone with information about the incident should call the SIUC Department of Public Safety at 618/453-3771 or the Crime Stopper Line at 618/549-COPS.