A 19-year-old man is accused of assaulting a female student-athlete while working for a moving company at Quinnipiac University in Hamden.
Police said Sunday Okoro, 19, of New Britain, confronted a 21-year-old athlete while she was walking to the athletic center on Quinnipiac's Mount Carmel Campus the morning of Aug. 22.
According to police, Okoro grabbed the student's wrist and tried to pick her up. She dropped to the ground so he couldn't lift her, but Okoro continued grabbing at the student.
The victim managed to break away and ran to the school athletic center, where she contacted public safety, police said.
"She was lucky that she was able to get away and that she's OK now," said Quinnipiac graduate Lindsay Warner.
Okoro tried to get away and was taken into custody while climbing up a basketball hoop. Police said he was on campus working for a moving company based in New Britain.
"The university would like to recognize the swift response of the university's Public Safety Department, which resulted in the suspect being subdued shortly after the incident occurred and held until the Hamden Police Department arrived to arrest him," Lynn Bushnell, vice president for public affairs at Quinnipiac, said in a statement Monday. "No serious injuries were reported."
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Quinnipiac University spokesman John Morgan called the attack an "isolated incident."
"I would never imagine that this would happen, especially at Quinnipiac," said senior Jaclyn DellaGreca.
Okoro was arrested and charged with second-degree unlawful restraint, third-degree assault and breach of peace. He was held on $2,500 bond and is due in court in Meriden on Sept. 3.
It’s not clear if he has an attorney.
