Matt RubinDavid Erickson’s assailants weren’t waiting in a dark alley, nor were they after several crumpled $20 bills.
The Washington University senior was attacked while he walked to his off-campus apartment Friday, Oct. 6 around 11:30 a.m. The daylight attack occurred on Pershing Ave., a few blocks east of DeBaliviere Pl., just after Erickson exited the Forest Park MetroLink stop.
Erickson, reading a newspaper to pass the time, noticed a group of young males standing in front of an apartment building. Registering nothing unusual about the situation, he continued walking.
“I’ve seen them in the past, so I just thought they were standing and talking. As I walked by, all of them surrounded me.”
Caught off guard when “one yelled, ‘Hey man,'” Erickson could not protect himself against a punch to the face. Although he doesn’t remember much after the initial blow, a female witness said Erickson was hit multiple times in the jaw.
Erickson described his attackers as four young, black males, all about 6 ft. tall, who appeared to be in their late teens or early twenties.
According to Erickson, his attackers were not interested in robbing him. No demands were made to hand over his wallet or cell phone. Erickson’s iPod, which fell to the ground during the assault, was not taken.
“They didn’t even take anything. That’s the thing that really made me so angry. They basically just attacked me and ran off. It seemed completely senseless,” he said.
A passerby spotted Erickson and dialed 911. Before University City police arrived, the attackers fled, running towards the MetroLink station.
Erickson was taken to the hospital for X-rays, but aside from a minor bruise and a sore jaw, he escaped serious physical injury.
In the days after his assault, Erickson maintains his routine schedule.
“I feel safe walking alone. The last couple of days I’ve been walking around trying to figure out how this happened. It feels like a nice neighborhood. I often see police cars patrolling near my apartment,” said Erickson.
Following a string of off campus attacks, Chancellor Mark Wrighton urged students to be mindful of the environment in which they are living.
“I think sometimes we take for granted [our] safety .with the security we have,” said Wrighton. “I think people just need to face the reality that we live in a world where you find not everyone is as nice and accommodating and supportive as our students are.
Washington University Chief of Police Don Strom said the University tries to provide extra coverage in neighborhoods where it owns property. Strom also stated that the University has a close partnership with the University City Police, meeting every other week for collaboration.
Despite campus and University City police efforts, Wrighton said the University cannot maintain a protective bubble around its students.
“I don’t think I can guarantee a perfect world around this campus,” said Wrighton. “I walk around every day and I myself think ‘I take the same path every day and if anyone were ever watching I could be the victim of an attack and robbed.’ We all should be conscious that crime exists around us and people are desperate.”