ASU police looking for man accused of groping students on Tempe campus

TEMPE, AZ - Arizona State University police believe a man is targeting female students at random and has groped at least five students since July.

ASU Police spokesman Cmdr. Jim Hardina said the man comes up from behind the victims riding a bicycle, fondles the girls, and then speeds off.

The suspect started out grabbing the rear ends of students but on Tuesday night a student told police the man reached under her shirt and groped her breasts.

“He appears to be escalating his behavior so we want women to be aware so they can take whatever safety measures they need to protect themselves,” Hardina said.

Hardina said the assaults have happened all over the Tempe campus and not in one particular area. Some have happened during the day, others at night.

Hardina said none of the victims have been able to get a good description of the suspect so police are asking all students to be alert and to call police if they see anything.

When asked, many students said they not heard about the incidents.

“It's scary. You wouldn't think that it would happen on campus especially in the public with so many people and so many students,” said Sakura Considine, an ASU junior.

Other students said they would be more alert after hearing about the news.

“It makes me feel less safe walking alone, especially at night, walking home or something when I never really thought about it before,” said Olivia Dummer, a sophomore at ASU.

Hardina said police plan to put up fliers throughout the campus informing students about the cases.