Aggravated Assault Sharpens Focus on Crime at Occidental

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Author: Ryan Strong

An Occidental sophomore was assaulted by a visitor on the night of the Mardi Gras Dance Jan. 30 causing a black eye and swelling of the jaw. The aggravated assault, which took place on the quad, was the first one this academic year.

Two active-duty marines, with about three months on the force, were on campus to visit a friend. According to Campus Safety’s report, one Marine said “‘what’s up,'” as they passed by the victim near the cooler. According to the victim, since he did not recognize these people,he thought they were talking to someone else and walked away.

At Johnson, the Marines yelled, “‘What’s your problem, you too good to speak,'” then according to the official report “…the suspect, with closed fists, began punching [the victim] in the face and head about fifteen times…”

Campus Safety Sergeant Edwin N. Mourthi was the first officer on scene. Descriptions of the suspects were broadcast and another officer immediately spotted and detained a suspect. The victim then identified the suspect as his attacker’s friend. Officers then questioned the detainee, who gave information about and the location of the primary suspect’s car. Campus Safety found the car and disabled it by locking two boots to the vehicle. The detained marine was served with a trespass warning and left campus.

On Sunday morning, an “Oxy student called to inquire about her friend’s vehicle parked at 1622 Campus Rd. that was immobilized with a locking device. An Officer asked to have her friend meet Campus Safety at the vehicle,” the report stated. Officers arrived at the location and took the suspect into custody. He was identified by the victim and promptly arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department. The victim said that he plans to press charges.  

“That was good policing,” Director of Campus Safety Holly Nieto said. She credits the work to the experience and training of the officers.

“They did great,” the victim, who asked to remain anonymous, said. “These guys were running away pretty quickly … I was impressed.”

“Assaults are rare,” Nieto said. She makes it clear that her department is not fond of outsiders coming in and attacking students.

“We take it personally whenever there is any crime on this campus,” she said.

A look at Occidental’s crime statistics indicates that attitude may be paying off. Per a federal law called the Clery Act, all post-secondary institutions that accept federal financial aid must report certain crimes during each calendar year.

Clery Act crimes committed on Occidental-owned property during the most recent year, 2009, consisted of four non-forcible rapes, three aggravated assaults and four building burglaries. There were no murders, manslaughters, robberies, grand theft autos, arsons or hate crimes reported to Campus Safety. The 2008 statistics were very similar, and while the 2010 statistics will not come out until September, Nieto does not expect any significant changes.

Occidental’s crime statistics are comparable to other colleges that largely do not have to deal with the same risks that come with being located in a city. Cal Tech, which has a significant graduate program but 1,000 fewer undergraduate students than Occidental, had reported a forced rape, robbery, two burglaries and a stolen car. Whittier College enrolls fewer students and is located in a city with fewer than 100,000 people but has a higher on-campus crime rate than Occidental. It reported two forcible sex offenses, nine burglaries, three stolen cars and a hate offense.

In addition to the Clery Act crimes, Occidental voluntarily reported seven on-campus grand theft larcenies and four auto burglaries in 2009. Occidental also reports crimes committed in its escort zone—a large portion of public property—which is also not a requirement of the Clery Act.

“It’s important because students walking should have the right to know,” Director Nieto said. “It’s the spirit of the Clery Act.”

About 70 percent of the crimes Occidental reports occurs in the escort zone. In 2009, this included eight robberies, 14 auto burglaries and 18 stolen vehicles. It is not possible to compare this information with other institutions’ because they do not offer their communities this insight.

At night, Nieto stressed the importance of not walking alone outside the campus and cited some areas she doesn’t want students to be in, no matter how large the group. These areas include the Figueroa Corridor and South Eagle Rock Boulevard.

While Nieto understands that the taco trucks are popular, she recommends driving and going earlier because this makes the trips safer. She has also observed that neighbors on the routes don’t tend to be the most sympathetic to drunken students’ late night munchies.

Overall, Eagle Rock has a violent crime rate that is lower than the city’s average, but a property crime issue that is worse than many neighborhoods. According to the “Los Angeles Times Crime Map,” the neighborhood averages 1.1 violent crimes and 11.2 property crimes per week. Just two weeks ago, three violent crimes were reported.

For every 10,000 people in Eagle Rock, there are 104.5 crimes committed every six months. That number is slightly higher than surrounding neighborhoods. Campus Safety has a close relationship with LAPD, keeping apprised on crime trends and problems within Eagle Rock.  

For Nieto, part of keeping the community safe is knowing about all the crime on campus. She encourages students to report everything. She also asks that students be smart in order to prevent crime. Not leaving doors unlocked or valuables in plain sight are basic precautions.

While the recent aggravated assault may serve as a reminder that there is more progress to make in keeping the campus community safe and secure, its impact seems limited. More than anything, there is a sense of disappointment that a marine would commit such a crime.

“I held them to a higher standard,” the victim said. “You see the commercials, the few, the proud, the Marines …”  

“After searching our records, I don’t see any official reports on the incident you described for me involving two Marines from this base aboard your campus. But I can tell you that Marines take great pride in our courtesy and our professionalism. Though we are trained to fight and win the Nation’s wars, Marines conduct themselves with honor, courage and commitment. The behavior you describe is not the mark of a United States Marine,” U.S. Marine Captain and Public Affairs Officer Nick “Mannchild” Mannweiler said via e-mail.

Asked whether his views on the safety of the campus changed because of this incident, the victim explained why he didn’t make too much of it.

“It’s about the same. This is about as random as you can get. These guys were looking for a fight,” he said.

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