Northwestern Student Battered In Burglary Attempt

EVANSTON, IL — A Northwestern graduate student confronted a stranger in the bedroom of his Evanston apartment Monday afternoon, police said. When the 26-year-old asked the intruder to leave, the man hit him in the face and ran away.

City and campus police said the student was listening to music in his apartment in the 2200 block of Sherman Avenue around 2:35 p.m. when a man came in through an unlocked back door in an attempted burglary.

The student confronted the trespasser, who ignored him and began walking down the hallway to another bedroom. The resident approached, grabbing the man's arm to try to lead him out of the home.

The trespasser turned and punched the tenant in the face. He then grabbed a pair of slippers from a shelf and implied a weapon by putting his hand in his pocket and threatening the student, saying something like, "Don't make me do this," Evanston Police Cmdr. Joseph Dugan said.

The attacker was described as a gray-bearded, 5-foot, 5-inch black man between 50 and 60 years old with a medium to heavy build.

The student, who police said had minor swelling of his upper lip, declined medical attention after contacting police shortly after 3 p.m.

The police report is not clear on the outcome of the slippers snatched by the intruder, according to Dugan.

University police advised residents to make sure their doors are locked at all times and to immediately report suspicious activity to Northwestern or Evanston police. Anyone with information that may help investigate the above incident was asked to call 847-866-5000.

_{Top photo via Evanston PD}