Female student fights off attacker at DeAnza College

A woman accosted by a man who tried to kiss and touch her Wednesday on the campus of De Anza College in Cupertino fought him off and emerged uninjured, according to the Foothill-De Anza Police Department.

The man approached the student victim Wednesday night as she walked on the south side of the community college campus near the De Anza Fujitsu Planetarium at 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., campus police said in an alert posted on the college’s website.

The student said the suspect grabbed her by the arm, pushed her against a wall, attempted to kiss and touch her inappropriately but fled after she punched him, according to police.

The woman, who was not hurt, reported last seeing the man fleeing on foot heading north toward the area of the Marjorie L. Hinson Campus Center, police said. She described the man as 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall with short brown hair, bushy eyebrows. He was unshaven with a cut above his lip and strong body odor, according to officers.

He was wearing a black fleece zip-up hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans and told the victim his name was Alexander, police said. Following the attack, Foothill-De Anza police said they were having all available campus police officers patrol the campus later Wednesday.

Police also stated that anyone who needed an officer to serve as an escort on campus during any weeknight may call the department at (650) 949-7313 and to call 911 for emergencies. The department is also asking anyone with information about the event to call them at (650) 949-7313.

The Foothill-De Anza Police Department, which polices both De Anza and Los Altos Hill-based Foothill College, stated on its website that De Anza was rated the second-safest community college in California and the 11th best in the nation in 2013 by StateUniversity.com.

Foothill was ranked first in safety in California and second in the nation among community colleges by the website that year, according to police.