The typically laid-back atmosphere of The Fly in Audubon Park was disrupted when a man attempted to assault a female Loyola student in the park’s public restroom last Wednesday, according to students who were at the scene.

Tim Swain, A&S ’05, said the young woman thwarted the attack by screaming for help and pushing the assailant, allowing her to safely escape the bathroom.

Swain, along with College of Music alumnus Matthew Durham and international business senior Kevin Hogan, became aware of the situation when the woman exited the bathroom and asked for their help. They succeeded in physically restraining the man until the police arrived.

“This guy obviously had something wrong with him,” Swain said. “He grabbed one of my friend’s throats, and that’s when we realized we had to get physical with him.”

The police arrived 20 minutes later, according to Swain, and apprehended the man. From how the police were talking it sounded like “there will be a lot of charges made against [the attacker],” Swain said.

Unfortunately, an incident similar to this may have happened in the past. Police and park officials told Swain that they had received calls about a man with the same description before. Swain said other park-goers were also familiar with the man.

“Once I described the man to others, they also recognized the description,” he said.

The students said they hope that this teaches students an important lesson about crime prevention.

“The guy was doing this on a regular basis. If he wouldn’t have been stopped, he probably would have been back the next day,” said Swain. “People need to realize that they can do things to stop people.”

Durham said that the female student did the most important thing by defending herself and letting others know about the situation.

“If she wouldn’t have done what she did, I might not be talking to you right now,” said Durham. “She did the right thing by telling someone and because of that, he got what he deserved.”

Swain also agreed that the woman was the true hero of this story.

“A lot of people in that situation would have just curled up into a ball and let themselves be a victim – she didn’t,” he said.

The Fly is a public park and soccer field area located along the Mississippi River behind Audubon Zoo.

The University Police Department is there to ensure that others also avoid becoming victims. The department offers RADS (Rape Aggression Defense System) programs that teach students self-defense techniques.

UP also has literature on rape and assault prevention provided by the National Crime Prevention Council available in the Public Safety office next to Biever Hall.

The pamphlets advise those who are being assaulted to only resist if circumstances allow and to be especially careful if the attacker has a weapon. They also tell students to stay alert so that they can accurately describe the attacker and situation to the police. The pamphlets also advise students to report any assault to the police as quickly as possible to increase the chances of catching the attacker.

For more information on either service, contact Lt. Angela Honora at (504) 865-3434.

Lauren LaBorde can be reached at [email protected].