Woman Fends Off Attacker in Isla Vista
Male Suspect Held Knife to Her Throat and Tried to Remove Her Clothing
Santa Barbara Sheriff’s deputies are searching for a man who attacked a woman behind an Isla Vista apartment complex Tuesday morning.
According to Sheriff’s spokesperson Drew Sugars, the female victim had walked to the back of her complex at around 1:25 a.m. to throw a bag of trash in a parking lot dumpster. Just as she dropped the bag, a male suspect grabbed her and placed a knife to her neck.
The suspect reportedly tried to remove the victim’s clothes, but she was able to break free and run away. She suffered a cut on her leg and was treated at a nearby hospital. The suspect, said Sugars, was described as “a white college-age male, approximately 5’10”, wearing a dark sweatshirt and jeans.”
As deputies responded to the scene, they discovered a metal pipe with PVC caps on both ends. Since it looked suspiciously like a pipe bomb, the Sheriff’s bomb squad was called in and four apartment units were evacuated. The pipe, however, was determined not to be a risk. There is no evidence to link the incidents, said Sugars.
If anyone has information on the attack they are encouraged to call detectives at (805) 681-4150 or the Sheriff’s Anonymous Tip Line at (805) 681-4171.
