Early Saturday morning, a 20-year-old female student was allegedly assaulted inside Commons 4, resulting in the first crime alert email disseminated to the university community this year.

The victim’s ride reportedly dropped her off at Stamp Student Union. As she was walking back to her apartment, she noticed someone following her, University Police Spokesman Capt. Marc Limansky said. The suspect allegedly followed the victim — who was not injured in the incident — into Commons 4 on Knox Road after she pressed the handicapped entrance button, according to Limansky.

While Limansky declined to say specifically where in the building the assault occurred, he said she was on the way back to her room. The suspect allegedly grabbed the victim’s shoulders, wrapped his arms around her upper body, and then fled the scene, he said.

“For whatever reason, he stopped committing the assault, and he left,” Limansky said.

He is described as a 5-foot-9-inch tall black male with a medium build, wearing a black hooded jacket and dark pants.

Afterward, the female reportedly went into her apartment, called a friend, and the pair drove around the campus looking for a police officer to file the report. They found an officer near the intersection of Baltimore Avenue and Lakeland Road around 4:15 a.m.

Limansky said in the event of an incident, police are more likely to find the suspect if an immediate report is filed.

Students should strongly consider calling for a police escort, he said, when alone on the campus.

“I would definitely stress the escort service to people,” he said. “This was a perfect opportunity for that. Call us. We’ll walk with you.”

Students received a crime alert Saturday afternoon detailing the incident, and many, including sophomore kinesiology major Amy Morris, said they would take precautionary measures when traversing the campus and College Park at night.

“I pretty much was just creeped out that there are sketchy characters that are on campus,” Morris said. “It reminds me that at night, I cannot walk alone.”

Morris added: “After hearing this, I definitely want to invest in some pepper spray.”

egan@umdbk.com