Update: Jennifer Castro, a spokeswoman for the Anchorage Police Department, identified 21-year-old Rodney Stevens as the man arrested for the Tuesday morning assault of a Bartlett High School student. Stevens faces one charge of second-degree assault.
ANCHORAGE – A man was arrested Tuesday morning after allegedly assaulting a female student on her way to school, Anchorage police said.
According to a statement released by the Anchorage Police Department, the Bartlett High School student was walking to school when she noticed a Native male walking behind her. Once she was on school property, she stopped to see if he would pass: Instead, the male suspect shook her hand, introduced himself and claimed he was also a student at the school.
He then began beating her.
The female victim told officers the man struck her in the face and wrapped his arms around her neck. He left the scene following the attack, but a school resource officer was able to locate him shortly thereafter, walking nearby with blood on his hands.
Police said the man was taken into custody for questioning. Investigators don’t believe he knew the victim, who was taken to a local hospital to be treated for her injuries.