Arrest Made: UWPD Investigating Assault & Attempted Abduction

Case number: 17-1727
Incident date: October 2, 2017, 1:00 am
Incident type: Assault
Location/address: Social Sciences Building

10/12/2017 update:

On Tuesday, October 10, 2017, the UW-Madison Police Department arrested Coleman Chung, 30, of Monona. Chung is a person of interest in an assault and attempted abduction which occurred on campus on October 2. Chung is currently being held in the Dane County Jail on a federal probation warrant.

This is an active investigation between the UW-Madison Police Department and the City of Madison Police Department. Anyone who believes they may have been the victim of a crime involving Chung is urged to call UWPD at (608) 264-2677 or Madison Area Crime Stoppers at (608) 266-6014.

Charges are pending and UWPD expects to refer charges to the Dane County District Attorney’s Office sometime next week.

10/10/17 update:

The UW-Madison Police Department has a person of interest in custody in connection with the assault and attempted abduction near Observatory Drive last week.

Earlier this afternoon, with the help of the City of Madison Police Department, the man was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Dane County Jail. The man has no UW-Madison affiliation. At this time, UWPD is not releasing his name.

At approximately 1:00 a.m. on Monday, October 2, a UW-Madison student was walking home from College Library when she was approached by an unknown man from behind. The suspect placed the victim in a headlock and forcefully moved her to a parking lot near the Social Sciences building on Observatory Drive. He was armed with an edged weapon and struck the victim multiple times – she was eventually able to fight him off and ran away to get help. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment and later released.

Detectives and officers from the UW-Madison Police Department worked tirelessly on this case, with help from our great partners at the City of Madison Police Department. MPD was working a separate case which we believed to be connected to our case. Because of the collaborative investigative work, UWPD had gathered enough information to make an arrest.

More information will be released when charges are recommended to the Dane County District Attorney’s Office.

Original release:

The UW-Madison Police Department is investigating an assault and attempted abduction that occurred early Monday, October 2. Two WiscAlerts were sent to campus shortly after the incident was reported to UWPD.

At approximately 1:00 a.m. on Monday morning, a UW-Madison student was walking home from College Library when she was approached by an unknown man from behind. The victim was wearing earbuds and did not hear the suspect approach. The suspect placed the victim in a headlock and forcefully moved her to a parking lot near the Social Sciences building on Observatory Drive. The suspect, armed with an edged weapon, struck the victim multiple times – she was eventually able to fight the suspect off and ran away to get help. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

The suspect is described as a white male, 5”8’ tall with a thin build, 175 pounds, and last seen wearing thin black-framed glasses and a beanie. He was seen leaving the area in a green vehicle.

If you have any information about the suspect or this crime, you’re urged to call UWPD at (608) 264-COPS. UWPD has increased patrols in the area in light of this incident.

Students are reminded, as a general safety rule, to be aware of your surroundings at all times, especially at night. Here are some suggestions everyone should consider to reduce your risk of being targeted:

All students should exercise caution when traveling across campus after dark. Use SAFEwalk – a FREE service at UW-Madison that provides safe escorts to students on campus. Call or text at 608-262-5000 to request a walk. SAFEwalk has increased staffing levels in light of this incident to accommodate more walks.
Avoid wearing earbuds – especially when walking at night. If you must, only use one earbud so you can stay aware of your surroundings.
If you’re a bystander and see someone behaving in a way that seems suspicious, step in and do something about it. If you don’t feel comfortable or safe confronting them, call 911.
If you sense that something is wrong and a situation may turn unsafe, step in and do something.
Use and encourage others to have a companion or a safe means of getting home – like a trusted friend, taxi, SAFEwalk, etc.
Download and use WiscGuardian — UWPD’s campus safety app. Learn more here.