A female Boston College student was assaulted March 1 at the popular local bar and nightclub An Tua Nua. The student has given the Boston Police Department a description of the assailant, but an investigation is still ongoing.
The student, a senior, said she was on the dance floor when she experienced unwanted physical contact from a man she did not know or recognize. After the man admitted to touching her, the victim poured her beer on him and left the scene. The man pursued her, and after several exchanges between the two parties, he spat in her face and punched her in the left side of the head. He then fled the club.
The victim, who was with friends, was helped back to BC where she contacted the Boston College Police Department to report the incident. She was sent to the infirmary for treatment and opted to receive their medical attention at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center. At the emergency room in St. Elizabeth's, she learned that the contusion had been to the thickest part of the skull and would result in a black eye due to blood draining. She was released with pain medication Friday morning.
The victim described the suspect as being a 6-2 light-skinned African-American male in his mid - to late -20s.
"It's frustrating that I couldn't do anything," she said. "I want him to be stopped. A lot of students go to this club and they should be on the lookout."
Boston College Police Chief Robert Morse confirmed that detectives have the case and are working on it. Because the incident occurred off-campus, Boston Police are the primary investigators. "But BC students are our students," said Morse, "and we will continue to work with Boston Police."
Morse cautioned students who go to nightclubs to be attentive to their surroundings and practice safe drinking habits. "Be aware of consumption of alcohol and take any problems you have to the management," he said.
BC also offers Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) training for women to become equipped with self-defense techniques that could help them prevent or resist assaults. The free classes are offered periodically throughout the year, and more information can be found on the BCPD Web site.
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