Northwestern University police are looking for a man who is known to authorities and is suspected of hitting a student after entering her dorm room at Allison Hall last Thursday afternoon, according to a spokesperson for the university.
Bob Rowley, director of media relations for Northwestern, said university and Evanston police departments are working together on the case.
“We haven’t caught him yet. We’re still looking for him,” Rowley said. He said authorities are following up a number of leads but have yet to locate the known individual. Rowley said the man is not a student at the university.
The student told police last week that a man she didn’t know entered her dorm room at 1820 Chicago Ave. around 4:30 p.m. last Thursday.
The man ran away after arguing with the student. The student followed him, and the man hit her and said, “I’ll shoot you,” according to an alert on the university’s website.
The student didn’t report any physical injuries and said the man did not reveal a weapon, the alert said.
Police released a surveillance photo of the man suspected of hitting the student last week. He is described as black, about 6 feet tall, in his late 30s or early 40s and weighing about 210 pounds. He has a bald head, no facial hair and a medium complexion. He was wearing a green sweatshirt, blue jeans and carried a gray backpack, according to the alert.
Anyone with information can call the Northwestern University Police Department at 847-491-3456 or the Evanston Police Department at 847-866-5000.
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.