Employee attacked on Minneapolis campus

Police are seeking a man not affiliated with St. Thomas after he allegedly struck a university employee in Schulze Hall on the Minneapolis campus Tuesday morning.

The employee was making his way through a hallway when the suspect approached the employee and struck him in the face, according to a report from Public Safety. Following the incident, the suspect maneuvered through the Minneapolis School of Law to the Harmon Place parking ramp.

The suspect was described by authorities as a black male in his late teens to early 20s with a thin build and medium/neck length braided hair. He was described as wearing a flat brimmed blue Miami Heat cap with a silver or gold sticker on the brim, a dark-colored hoodie with a zipper, hood down and zipper open, a red/maroon shirt with unknown white lettering, khaki pants, Adidas shoes with black stripes and carrying a green soft-sided briefcase with brown leather trim.

The Minneapolis Police Department reported a similar incident had just occurred in the skyways involving a suspect with the same description.

Minneapolis Police Public Information Officer John Elder advised anyone who runs into the suspect to keep their distance and call 911. In general he said people should follow common sense guidelines.

“There is a whole myriad of things that people should do, and really it’s the things that we’ve been told ever since we’ve been able to go out on our own,” Elder said. “Travel in pairs, especially after dark and in the evening. There’s always safety in numbers. Keep a good knowledge of your surroundings.”

Elder also suggested keeping only one ear bud in and not staring at a phone while walking around.

Anyone with information on today’s incident is encouraged to contact the MPD at (612) 692-8477.