A string of four violent crimes at a state college campus in the Inland Empire, including kidnapping and rape attempts around the library, has left some students at the Southern California school heading to class worried and on edge.
The most recent took place Sunday afternoon, when a student was standing outside a library at Cal State San Bernardino when a man grabbed her, covered her mouth and tried taking her to his car.
An attempted rape, carjacking and a strong-arm robbery also took place within 14 days, a school spokesman said.
"I'm shocked, I just can't believe it because we've never had this problem on campus," said student Kariuna Guido.
The attempted kidnapping shocked students, especially because the library was the scene of an attempted rape, as well. No one has been taken into custody for either attack. It's unclear if the two incidents were related.
Student Monique Lopez said she worries the assailant could be "capable of anything."
"Anyone can be a potential victim," she said.
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The university has more than doubled its police staffing in response to the incidents, said the school's president, Tomas D. Morales, in a statement.
"I have personally called on our city and county leaders to significantly increase their police presence of the neighborhoods surrounding CSUSB," he said.
School officials are also advising the campus community to take extra precautions: avoid walking alone, request an escort if you feel unsafe and report suspicious activity.
Investigators will be taking a look at surveillance video in hopes of identifying a suspect.
"I might actually get some pepper spray now after hearing what's been going on," said student Amanda Ridder.
