SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Students at a San Diego State University apartment complex are frightened after learning one of their neighbors reported being raped there over the weekend.
Police say they are investigating the rape, but aren't releasing the suspect's name. SDSU Police say the victim and the suspect had exchanged communication before the rape, but police are investigating how well they knew each other.
Neighbors say they can’t believe it happened at their apartment complex, and they’re even more upset no one alerted them that this happened.
Villa Alvarado is a gated community for sophomore students at SDSU, but what happened behind the gates has students concerned. Police say a female was sexually assaulted on Saturday night into Sunday morning. She reported the rape to campus police first thing Sunday.
“I’m honestly not surprised in general. A lot of colleges are going through this phase of sexual assault,” said sophomore Taylor Warch.
Overall, rapes on campus dropped from 12 in 2014 to one in 2016. Rapes at campus residences are down from ten to three. University Police said they have already received six reports of sexual assault on campus since January.
The university requires all students, faculty and staff to undergo sexual violence prevention training.
Students think there needs to be more awareness after incidents like the one this weekend occur.
"I just feel like it needs to be known about. Like I didn’t even know about this situation," said Warch.
None of the sophomores who spoke with 10News were notified by the apartment complex or the school.
“Honestly I do feel less safe here because no one told us that this happened," said one student.
Students said they use the buddy system so hopefully they can prevent something like this from happening to them.
