Student attacked while asleep by intruder at U of Manitoba residence

A woman was assaulted early Friday morning while she was asleep at her university student housing residence by an unknown intruder, Winnipeg police say.

Police were called about the break-in and assault on Dafoe Road, at a student housing complex, at 4:45 a.m. The woman fought off the intruder after he entered her room and physically assaulted her, police said in a news release.

The woman was treated for injuries and is in stable condition, police said.

"This was a very random occurrence.… We are treating it with great concern," Const. Dani McKinnon, a Winnipeg police public information officer, said at a Friday news conference.

The six-storey student housing complex is called the Arthur V. Mauro Residence, and has capacity to house up to 316 students in 155 suites, according to the U of M.

McKinnon said the student's suite was not on the building's main floor.

McKinnon said police don't want the community to be alarmed, but urged U of M students and residents in the Fort Richmond neighbourhood to take safety precautions following the incident.

"This is not something that occurs regularly," McKinnon said.

But "please lock your doors … make sure you have your cellphone with you, be aware of your surroundings, especially in the darkness hours," she added.

24/7 security staff added

The University of Manitoba said in a Friday email to students that it will increase security on the campus immediately in response to the incident.

Linh Vo said she and other students evacuated their dorms early Friday morning after the fire alarm went off. She said it wasn't until the school sent out the email she learned what had happened.

"I'm feeling a bit frightened because, you know, like the stranger is very near to where we lived," Vo said. "At the same time, I feel very relieved because we know that we're safe."

Naomi Andrew, vice-president of administration, said the school has institutional safety officers patrolling all campus buildings around the clock, and that residences have their own security staff, with each floor having its doors locked.

But Andrew added there wasn't a security guard monitoring the floor at the time of the incident.

"Effective immediately, we'll be adding an additional security presence on campus, and that will include in the lobby of each residence building on a 24-hour basis," she said.  "That will complement the regular nightly security schedule."

The additional security will conduct regular checks on all residents, entrances and locations, Andrew said. The school is also conducting a review of its security measures.

In the meantime, the university is encouraging students and staff to make use of safety resources like its Safe Walk program, and reminding them to lock their doors and secure their belongings.

"We know that that crime is up across the city, and no neighbourhood or community is immune to that," Andrew said. "Even though we do have a good security presence on campus, this is quite a serious incident."

Police ask public for help

Police are seeking public assistance in finding the attacker, and released photos Friday showing a person they said is a suspect.

He is described as an adult male, approximately five foot 10 to six feet tall, with long, unkempt hair and facial hair. He was wearing a black jacket with a grey hoodie, possibly blue jeans and black shoes with a black-and-blue backpack.

Police say they are working closely with the University of Manitoba while the sex crimes unit investigates.

They're asking anyone who recognizes the person, or has other information that may help, to contact the sex crimes unit at 204-986-6245, or contact Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 (TIPS) or online.