A Penn graduate student was attacked near campus in the early evening hours last Thursday and has identified one of his assailants.
Penn Police arrested Eric Ferguson, 30, after the student identified him as one of three men who attacked him with a wooden stick from behind while he walked near 41st and Delancey streets. Ferguson, a resident of the 3900 block of Market Street, has been charged with aggravated assault.
Penn Police first received news of the incident at around 7:40 p.m., after the 23-year-old graduate student fought off his attackers and found a Penn Police supervisor who was patrolling the area. The supervisor put out a description of the assailants to both Penn and Philadelphia police. Moments later, four men matching the description were stopped by joint task force officers on patrol in the area. Ferguson was subsequently identified by the student and arrested.
The student, who sustained minor injuries after being knocked to the ground, was treated at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and released that night.
The Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detective Division is currently investigating the case. Penn Police have not yet been able to confirm whether Ferguson had any prior arrests.
"We are very concerned about these random acts of violence," the Division of Public Safety said in an e-mail statement. "Fortunately, our student was not seriously injured, and our officers on patrol were able to make an arrest in this case."
The University is facing mounting pressure to address crime in light of two shootings on campus in the past month. Last Sunday, a student was hit in the leg by a stray bullet near 38th and Walnut streets, and on Dec. 25 a man was shot and killed in the Philly Diner on the 3900 block of Walnut Street.
Last night, University officials announced an additional $5 million earmarked for hiring more police and security guards and improving anti-crime technology like cameras, lighting, and blue-light security phones.
College junior Shira Epstien said that, while the recent campus crime has made her more aware of personal safety, it doesn't mean that one should be afraid to go out.
"I don't think I would walk by myself at night," she said.
Epstien said she would now be more likely to call a walking escort service officer if she was walking alone in the evening.
College junior Laura Brookover said that while her parents have expressed worry over the recent crime affecting Penn, they have not gone as far as to suggest she transfer to another school.
Still, she worries that being mindful of personal safety isn't enough.
"I feel like you can take the proper precautions and still be a victim of crime," Brookover said.
