MIAMI, FL – Florida International University has released an artist’s sketch of a young man suspected in a brutal attack on two high school students. The incident happend earlier this week at the university’s Biscayne Bay Campus. Both students had to be hospitalized.
One of the victims, Bela Perdomo, had previously been selected by Local 10 News as an “Eco Hero” for an environmental project. She told the television station that the attacker told her she would not be harmed if she took off her clothes.
“He said, ‘Don’t worry. Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you. Just take off your clothes and you’ll be fine. I won’t kill you,'” she told local news outlets. “But if you don’t take off your clothes, then I’ll have to kill you.’ And he was kind of talking like that.”
Perdomo and James Critz, identified by the news station as the other student who was attacked, attend the Marine Academy of Science and Technology. Local 10 said the students were collecting samples for a science project when they were beaten with a tree branch.
“FIU Police is asking for the public’s help in identifying an individual matching the description and sketch below in connection with the BBC assault case,” according to the university. “CrimeStoppers also will be putting this out with reward information.
“For the safety of the university community, there is increased police presence on the campus. Police will continue to canvas the area using this new sketch,” FIU said.
The attacker was described by one of the victims as a “mulatto” male, 18 to 20 years of age with short, cropped black hair in a spiked style. He is approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall and last seen wearing a white T-shirt and black cargo pants.
Perdomo told news outlets that her attacker could have passed for a student.