Ann Arbor boy taken into custody in jogger attack investigation
A 16-year-old Ann Arbor boy was jailed today after authorities say he tackled a woman while she was jogging Thursday and attempted to rape her.
The juvenile was apprehended about 10 a.m. after investigators followed up on a tip received Friday night, Ann Arbor police Det. Sgt. Pat Hughes said.
The 23-year-old victim, who is a graduate student instructor at the University of Michigan, fought off the attacker and was not injured in the 8:40 p.m. incident behind Slauson Middle School on West Washington Street, police said.
She bit one of his fingers and yelled at him, scaring him away, the report said.
The attacker grabbed her from behind, took her to the ground in a grassy area, then attempted to take off her jogging pants, the report said.
She yelled at him to "stop and get off of her" and bit him, according to the report.
The attacker told her he would let her go if she stopped biting and asked if she was going to call police, the report said.
The woman told him she wouldn't out of fear, police said. She got up, ran home and called police.
The attack occurred as she was running east on the street from Crest Street toward 8th Street.
The woman was wearing headphones; she told police she doesn't think anyone in the area saw the incident.
She said she didn't know whether the bite broke the skin and wasn't sure which finger she bit, according to the report.
No similar incidents have occurred in the area, police spokeswoman Lt. Angella Abrams said Friday. Officers stepped up patrols in the area after the attack.
"If you can, jog with a partner," Abrams said. "And most running professionals advise that you not run with headphones on because it inhibits your ability to hear your surroundings."
Anyone with information can call the department's tip line at (734) 794-6939.
Comments
Lee Higgins
Sat, Aug 29, 2009 : 11:39 a.m.
Hi mdp8045. Thanks for reading AnnArbor.com. The original story had a detailed description of the alleged attacker. That description was removed when someone was taken into custody and the story was updated.
colvina
Wed, Aug 26, 2009 : 8:17 a.m.
Is there any follow-up to this story? Was the attacker a neighborhood resident? What will happen to him now?
Rici
Mon, Aug 24, 2009 : 3:08 p.m.
If this indeed happen in the field behind Slauson (still not clear form the story), and if it were near Crest Street, then I doubt an exterior camera would have captured it. A big portion of the field stretches off to the west and the view is blocked by houses and trees. Maybe if there were big spy satellites over each building, covering an entire half mile radius.... Similar problem with lighting the field. It's a BIG field. Where would you put light poles, every 50 to 100 yards on a grid? Then how are they going to play soccer or other field games, use the track in the spring, etc? And as someone pointed out, it wouldn't help much in the woods on the south border, or the border along the Buena Vista dogleg.
JPLewis
Sun, Aug 23, 2009 : 4:09 p.m.
"If you can, jog with a partner," Abrams said. A.357 magnum makes a great partner.
Neo
Sun, Aug 23, 2009 : 10:52 a.m.
@ Brenda Patimkin, "It's really nice to have a dark field in the middle of neighborhoods..." The attacker thought so too.
timjbd
Sun, Aug 23, 2009 : 7:19 a.m.
"Most running professionals..."? And: She yelled at him to "stop and get off of her" and bit him, according to the report. That's obviously not a quote of what she said so why the quotation marks?
Macabre Sunset
Sun, Aug 23, 2009 : 3 a.m.
djm, Aren't the crimes of home invasion and mugging also against the law?
Brenda Patimkin
Sun, Aug 23, 2009 : 12:03 a.m.
@roadsidedinerlover It's really nice to have a dark field in the middle of neighborhoods that have so much street light pollution. I think it's unrealistic to combat the problem with adding additional lighting which, in any case, wouldn't be able to cover the shadows in the woods.
v johnson
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 10:50 p.m.
that occurence is so sad, as i went to middle school in that neighborhood when anyone could walk anywhere....perhaps it has become a less desirable area, or was the perp from somewhere else
powpow
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 9:07 p.m.
I am happy that the young woman was not seriously hurt. I don't think more prisons or locking up more inmates will solve the problem. We have more prisons and inmates now than the citizenry are willing to pay for (through our tax dollars). We have to realize that there are some evil people that live among us that want to do us harm and we have to do whatever is necessary to keep ourselves safe.
Rici
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 8:08 p.m.
If she was running on Washington from Crest towards 8th, he could have grabbed her right around 9th street and pulled her into that space there. There is a narrow passage between the long north-south wall of Slauson and the backyards of Buena Vista. That seems like a dumb place to try to attack someone, given the proximity to houses. So perhaps she was running in the field, from Crest towards 8th.
Eric P
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 3:15 p.m.
Huron: In answer to your question which the article really didn't make all that clear. It sounds like it started on Crest and then moved to the field behind Slauson. from the article- "incident behind Slauson Middle School on West Washington Street" "The man grabbed her from behind, took her to the ground in a grassy area" "The attack occurred as she was running east on the street from Crest Street toward 8th Street." question how can you run towards 8th street on Crest, they are parallel each other?
huron
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 2:52 p.m.
Could someone clarify whether this attack took place on Washington Street or in the field behind Slauson. The story is not clear on this poin, since it says the attack took place behind Slauson but also says it took place on the street. Those are not consistent. The map simply shows the address of Slausoon School.
djm12652
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 2:34 p.m.
macabresunset...putting people behind bars for drug crimes that hurt no one? Gimme a break...do you really believe that the dealers are not ciminal in their behavior? Or the users that end of mugging people, or committing home invasions to fund their drug habits don't hurt people? The big problem is that a couple of generations now have not felt any accoutability for their actions and it's always...oh poor kid...must have had a rough childhood...our judicial system isn't working and yes, I would be glad to pay more in taxes to specifically build more prisons to keep those that don't want to be a civil and productive member of society off the streets. And before you again reiterate that drug crimes hurt no one...look into the eyes of a woman that has been attacked by a crack addict for the $13 in her wallet...and beaten again for not having more.
kenUM
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 1:55 p.m.
A BIG kudos to the AAPD and the swiftness that they responded. I think as a community we need to encourage the victim to follow through with prosecution as well as offering support for her and her family. I sincerely hope that this young man will be able to get the help that he needs.
Sarcastic1
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 1:32 p.m.
Thanks to the citizen who called in the tip, and to the police department for putting it all together quickly.
Pika
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 10:15 a.m.
This is a serious concern. I'm glad she bit him! I'm a guy and think nothing of running where ever I like. I know that the same isn't true if you are a woman. That is a shame.
Eric P
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 8:25 a.m.
As a resident of that area I want to add that the lighting on Washington is sporadic at best once you get past the YMCA. There are several areas of darkness between the street lights. A part of the problem is poorly managed trees and shrubs that are in need to pruning.
Dave66
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 : 7:32 a.m.
I love running with music, too. But guess what? I hate being raped even more. If there's a tug-of-war, NOT being raped wins every time. She was running in a nice, safe, residential area and should have been OK, but still... Running with headphones on is just stupid.
Macabre Sunset
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 11:26 p.m.
What else should you do with someone who feels it's OK to rape a stranger who is out jogging? Our incarceration rates are high because 1) we lock up too many people for drug offenses when no one was hurt and 2) we have longer average sentences because we ignore minor offenses that might result in a short, but effective sentence elsewhere in the world. We don't lock people up when we should, so too many get to this stage. Result being a higher violent crime rate than other countries, too.
MjC
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 6:40 p.m.
Although all of us should have a right to walk/jog/run through the streets and parks of Ann Arbor, we must always remember that this isn't as safe a world as we would hope. All of us should stay alert to our surroundings and never hesitate to contact the police to report suspicious activities. Let's all be careful out there!
Barb
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 6:23 p.m.
Exactly. If we had more people in prisons this would never have happened. Puh-leeze. This nation has more people locked up per capita than other in the world. Obviously that's not working. We need some better ideas.
UPSman
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 6:22 p.m.
Thanks for providing the map of where the crime was commited. It's too bad that people like this are roaming the area and thank God he was unsuccessful. I don't know how you recover when someone takes "your person" in the act of a crime. It has to be devastating!
Macabre Sunset
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 4:58 p.m.
It's sad that the reaction to an attempted rape is to blame the victim in any way. Should have bought a dog? Why? Not even an option in many campus living situations, and many people don't like dogs. So those people should just stay inside the rest of their lives? No headphones? Doesn't really make a difference if someone is hiding behind a hedge and rushing out quickly. She did great to fight the guy off and get home, call police. I'm glad she's safe and I'm sorry this is something that will undoubtedly affect her quality of life. The only real solution is a society that actually locks up its criminals for a significant length of time. By the time someone graduates to this type of crime, he's undoubtedly well known to police, who are rendered helpless because of a judicial system that won't recommend serious jail time until the man actually kills someone. Which he will, sooner or later.
Sharon T
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 3:37 p.m.
leave the headphones at home, be aware of your surroundings, stay close to main roads, be ready to change paths if approached by a driver or pedestrian, bring your cell, and take your dog with you. all of the above have worked for me.
gottarun
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 2:56 p.m.
Yeah! You go girl! I am sorry you had to go through this. You should be very proud of yourself for staying strong and fighting off that creep.
linuxtuxguy
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 2:24 p.m.
roadsidedinerlover, the problem is not the lack of lighting. The problem is that there are so many people out there who want to commit this type of crime. If you install lighting, you may (or may not) help the problem in this particular area. But the criminals will either just do it here anyway or move on to a different area.
roadsidedinerlover
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 1:56 p.m.
All the residents of that area should ban together and get the Ann Arbor school system o put up more lighting if it is so dark there. If needed, get the City of Ann Arbor involved to put up more lights. They should use our tax dollars for this instead of a stupid underground parking system. I am so glad this woman was able to fight this nasty animal off!
A2CollegeofMartialArts
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 1:13 p.m.
I believe that she was very fortunate to get away with no physical injuries. Hopefully she will not suffer any emotional or mental scarring from it. This type of crime happens more frequently than people know. With the return of students happening in the next few weeks, I encourage all to keep their eyes and ears open, be aware of their surroundings, and take a proactive role in their own personal safety. I've been told by a law enforcement friend that the ratio for police officers and campus DPS is approximately 1 officer for every 2 thousand persons. This time last year, two women were victims of a similar crime within 45 minutes of each by the same assailant. He attempted to drag them into a van. Both fought back and got away but one did sustain some battering. We are offering ongoing women self defense classes at our facility on Saturday afternoons. We address the 12 most common attacks faced by women and solutions to them. Be PROACTIVE not REACTIVE. Be a VICTOR not a VICTIM.
Matt Sussman
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 12:31 p.m.
"He was wearing a jersey-style shirt that was possibly blue and yellow, the report said." Oh, sure, whenever I call it yellow, a hundred people yell "IT'S MAIZE, YOU DINGUS!" But no, seriously, fantastic story. Although I imagine biting the finger off was sort of a light punishment for the attacker.
Ed Verhamme
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 12:22 p.m.
I use to live near Crest and Bemidji and while its "public" virtually no houses have a view of the fields behind Slauson because it is in a small valley. Its also gets dark behind Slauson fast. This is a great neighborhood, its sad to see something like this happen there. People wear headphones all time time. just stay in well lit areas and run with a partner.
TFF3
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 12:16 p.m.
Good job on fighting off the attack. Don't be a victim. I, too, enjoy working out with music, but if I'm running in public I keep the volume low or only put one earbud in. I know I shouldn't use them at all, but its a compromise. Situational awareness is key, too many people are absorbed in their daily lives to notice what is going on around them.
Barb
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 11:08 a.m.
Terrifying - I love running while listening to music. That's crazy. That's also a very public area. I'll bet someone comes forward having heard something.
bellhelmet
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 : 10:58 a.m.
I'm glad that she got away and hope they find the guy. Definitely not a good idea to wear headphones when jogging, unless you are on a treadmill. Still no excuse to be attacked.