A University student suffered stab wounds and a collapsed lung
after being attacked with a knife on the 500 block of West William
Street as he walked home from Pizza House early Sunday morning.
At 2:05 a.m., the 28-year-old student heard the assailant run up
to him from behind. The attacker then grabbed the student’s
backpack and jumped on top of him, said Ann Arbor Police Sgt.
Andrew Zazula.
He said a neighbor heard the student yelling while she was
sitting in her basement bedroom nearby. According to Zazula, the
woman said she went outside and saw a man dressed in dark clothing
leaning over the victim. Zazula said the woman then screamed,
“Stop, I am going to call the police.” The assailant
ran off and neighbors waited with the injured student for the
police to arrive.
Though the attacker attempted to steal the victim’s
backpack, he was unsuccessful in robbing the student, Zazula
said.
The victim is currently in the University Hospital recovering
from bruises resulting from punches to the face and from three stab
wounds — one on the leg and two on the left side of his body.
The student also had a punctured left lung, Zazula said.
There are currently no suspects in the stabbing case, though
Zazula said the attacker was described as a 6-foot-1 male weighing
about 180 pounds and dressed in dark clothing.
In the interest of safety, students should make sure their
valuables are hidden, said Diane Brown, spokeswoman for the
Department of Public Safety. She added that students should make
sure others know their plans in case they don’t reach their
destination.
“We encourage all students and others to walk in well-lit
areas, to try to walk with another person and to avoid being
alone,” Brown said. “Everyone should be aware of
emergency phones on campus and be alert to their
surroundings.”
Brown emphasized that students who are suspicious of their
surroundings should act on that suspicion and move into a well-lit
area where they can be around other people.
The University offers cab services that students can use around
Ann Arbor. Ride Home is free and transports students to their
residences from the Shapiro Undergraduate Library or from the Media
Union. The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority offers the Night Ride
service, which transports students within the Ann Arbor city limits
for a fixed $3 rate.
Students can also use SAFE Walk, the University’s free
walking escort service that will transport them from a campus
location to any destination within one mile or a 20-minute walk
from the Diag.
Anyone with information about the attack can call the Ann Arbor
Police Department at 994-2880.