COLLEGE INCREASES SECURITY MEASURES IN WAKE OF ATTACK; SUSPECT SOUGHT IN ASSAULT ON WOMAN.

Byline: Gloria Gonzales / Daily News Staff Writer

A weekend attack on an 18-year-old woman using a Moorpark College restroom has left some students worried, despite stepped-up police patrols and other security precautions.

``After hearing about it I came over here to sign up for a self-defense class,'' said Orit Brandeis, a 20-year-old student in her first semester at the college.

``I just moved into an apartment two minutes from here and my bedroom is on the first floor and my roommate is all the way upstairs,'' Brandeis said. ``I want to be able to protect myself.''

According to police, the victim of the attack, a freshman beginning her first semester at college, was attending a weekend orientation session on campus Saturday.

During an afternoon break, she used a second-floor restroom in the humanities and social sciences building. The building has classrooms, offices and restrooms with doors that face on to a second-story, outdoor balcony.

While in the restroom, a man entered and attacked the woman. She fought back and may have frightened off the attacker. She suffered only minor bruises and was able to attend classes Monday, authorities said.

Both the woman and the police remain mystified about the motive for the midday attack.

``That's the strangest thing about this so far,'' said Chief Steve Price of the Ventura Community College District Police, the agency leading the investigation. ``Normally, in an assault, you have a clear-cut motive, like robbery or rape. That does not appear to (be) the case here. Nothing was stolen, and the victim felt extremely confident that rape was not this attacker's purpose.''

Price added that the assailant simply began striking the woman, and made no attempts at sexual contact, in a manner uncharacteristic of an attacker intent on rape.

Price noted, however, that rape had not been ruled out as a possible motive.

Both campus police and Simi Valley police said Wednesday that there was no connection between Saturday's attack and a series of attacks and attempted rapes in Simi Valley during the past year.

Sgt. Bob Gardiner, spokesman for the Simi Valley Police Department, added that the suspect in the Simi Valley attacks used a substantially different method. In those cases, a man described similarly by each victims, entered the homes of four Simi Valley women through unlocked doors or windows while the women slept. One of the women was raped, while the three others were all able to fight off the attacker. Police believe that it may have been coincidence that each of the women attended Moorpark College.

``The victim also gave a description of the Moorpark campus attacker that was substantially different than the person described by the Simi Valley victims,'' Price said.

Still, out of concern that an attacker might have been choosing victims on campus and then following them, Moorpark College officials had already planned an information campaign prior to the Saturday attack.

The campaign included classroom announcements about the attacks, an article in the school newspaper and bulletins posted across campus.

Those fliers were posted Wednesday along with a description of the suspect sought in the Saturday attack.

Professors also made announcements about the recent attack, and in some cases held class discussions. Faculty members and school officials are also advising students to walk in pairs and exercise caution when on campus during off-peak hours such as evenings or weekends.

Campus police are also stepping up patrols during those hours.

``In the event that it is someone who's coming to campus during these off times, or maybe someone who's only around on weekends, we're out there,'' Price said. ``Officers are questioning people who look like they're loitering during times when students might be easier targets because it's not so crowded.''

Both Price and college officials also noted that Moorpark's campus is still extremely safe, without any rapes or stranger attacks committed on campus in recent memory.

``We have had some cases of domestic disputes being carried over to campus,'' Price said. ``But nothing like this that I can remember.''

College President Jim Walker also reassured students and parents about safety on campus.

``This is one of the safest college campuses you could find, and we're very proactive when it comes to addressing safety issues,'' Walker said. ``We posted this information because we want to students to be aware and make informed and wise decisions, both when on and off campus.''

The man sought in the Saturday attack is described as a clean-shaven white male from 25 to 30 years old. The suspect has blue eyes and brown hair worn in a buzz cut, and wore blue jeans, black shoes and a white T-shirt on the day of the attack. If you have information about the suspect or the crime call Moorpark College Police at [phone].

The suspect in the Simi Valley attacks is described as a white male in his 20s. If you have any information about this suspect or these crimes, call the Simi Valley Police Department at [phone].

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1--color--ran in Conejo edition only) Moorpark College students have been placed on alert after a student was attacked Saturday.

(2--color in Simi edition only) Security measures have been boosted at Moorpark College as police search for a suspect in an assault on a female student Saturday.

Tina Gerson/Daily News