Rape Reported Near Eastern Michigan

YPSILANTI, Mich. - Crews were busy fixing street lights Friday in the parking lot of the River Drive Apartments on Cornell Road near Eastern Michigan University. The scheduled maintenance took on a new sense of urgency after a 19-year-old girl told police she was raped there Thursday night while walking to her car.

"It's not lighted very well, and there's times (when) it's dark and there's no one around and I will run from the parking lot to the building to get in," said EMU student Jennifer Coons.

That's what the girl's neighbors told us as they learned about the attack.

According to an EMU Police alert, the victim says a man grabbed her and forced her into the back seat of his car after she rejected his advances.

She says he initially drove into the lot with several men, but took off alone in a black, four-door Kia Soul.

"That whole situation just kind of scares me, the fact that could happen out here," said EMU student Desiree Seng.

The property manager did not want to talk on camera, but he told me the parking lot is usually packed around 9:30 p.m. when the attack reportedly took place. He's hoping anyone who saw anything will cooperate with police.

The suspect is described as black with a light complexion in his mid-thirties about six feet tall and 210 to 220 pounds.

Police are urging students to be aware of their surroundings, look assertive, walk with friends and trust their instincts.

"I shouldn't be afraid to walk to my building. I shouldn't have to run," Coons said. "I'm a single, young girl. I have to be aware of my surrounding, and I know that sometimes it's not the safest."