By Joe Johnson
A female victim was pulled by the hair, punched in the face and then slammed onto the ground by a man who subsequently sexually assaulted and robbed her early Saturday near the University of Georgia’s North Campus, according to a UGA police report.
According to the report, at about 2:33 a.m. a UGA police officer spotted the victim lying on a sidewalk on Fulton Street, west of the Tanner Building, which houses some grad students.
UGA is not releasing the victim’s age or saying whether she attends the university.
When the officer roused the victim, who had visible injuries to her face, hands and arms, she was unable to say what happened, according to the report.
However, the report notes that police reviewed surveillance video camera footage that showed the victim being accosted by a man who “intentionally caused physical injury to (the victim) by dragging her by her hair, punching and slapping her in the face, and slamming her to the ground resulting in losing consciousness.
“While (the victim) was unconscious, the unknown male dragged her into a dark area and reached into her pants, touching her intimate parts in the process,” according to the report, which noted that during the struggle the suspect grabbed the victim’s shirt and tore off a portion of it.
The suspect then stole the victim’s cellphone before fleeing the area on foot, the report noted.
Following the attack, police released surveillance camera images of the suspect which generated leads from the public that helped investigators to identify the suspect as 24-yea-old Tritavious Malik Harris who lived at University Oaks apartments on West Broad Street.
UGA police subsequently obtained arrest warrants charging Harris with robbery, aggravated battery, kidnapping, sexual battery, battery, simple assault, and criminal trespass.
With the assistance of the Athens-Clarke County and Jefferson police departments, Harris was arrested in Jefferson on Monday.
Even though the suspect is in custody, UGPD asked for anyone who may have additional information about the incident to contact them at (706) 542-2200.
In the wake of the assault, UGPD urged students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus to follow personal safety strategies, including traveling in groups when possible, remaining aware of your surroundings, traveling in well-lit areas when possible, and consume alcohol in a responsible and moderate manner.