Police searching for suspect who sexually assaulted San Diego State student

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The San Diego Police Department says it is searching for a suspect who sexually assaulted a San Diego State University student. According to police, the assault happened on Sunday, when the student got into a car they thought was a rideshare vehicle.

At some point during the ride, they were assaulted, SDPD says.

ABC 10News sent a reporter to SDSU’s campus to get reaction from students.

Some people didn’t even know anything happened, while others received an alert via email. Even with the alert from SDSU’s system, details were limited.

According to the alert, the victim was dropped off near 70th and Saranac streets, which is off campus. The ride started at an unknown location, possibly near the College Area. Police have not released information about how long the ride was, nor its exact route.

Both SDSU’s police and SDPD increased its presence on campus recently because of the start of the fall semester. Some people ABC 10News spoke to on campus definitely noticed there were more officers around.

A lot of freshman are on campus during this busy part of the academic calendar. Outside of classes, recruitment for Greek life was underway as well.

The victim’s gender has not been released yet. 10News spoke with several groups of women on campus.

They say using rideshares like Uber or Lyft is part of their day-to-day life.

Many of them take precautions, such as sharing their location with a friend, if they are catching a ride.

One freshman from Denver says she feels safe on campus, but she was alarmed about the assault.

“It’s just like scary that we never know where we are, especially in a new place and getting into a random car,” Elise Duty says. “You don’t know if you’re getting into the right Uber, and especially being out late at night. I don’t know — it’s just really scary as, like, a female especially.”

Police and SDSU have not released a suspect description at this point. Details are limited as SDPD continues its investigation.

If you have any information about this case, reach out to police at 619-531-2210.