Man Wearing Ski Mask Attacks Rockhurst Student in Brookside

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — What was supposed to be a short walk home, near 63rd Street and Main in Brookside, quickly turned into a nightmare for a Rockhurst University student.

According to a police report, the 21-year-old woman left Charlie Hooper’s Bar and Grill around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday and was walking home. Within minutes, two men wearing ski masks drove up.

At first, the woman said she thought the men needed directions. But then one of them attacked her.

“I’m so glad that she was so strong and got out of the situation,” the victim’s friend told FOX 4′s Robert Townsend during an interview on Wednesday.

The woman says it was the scariest time of her friend’s life. The victim was treated at an area hospital after suffering some bruises.

“It’s terrifying. I can’t imagine how I would feel,” said the woman’s friend. “I mean she’s never going to get that out of her head.”

The victim in the attack said the man cursed her, pushed her to the ground, pulled up her skirt and tried to tear her tights off. She said the other man stood behind their vehicle.

Security at Rockhurst sent letters to students telling them about the violent crime and reminding them to always be careful, on or off campus.

Investigators said when the victim reached in her purse and told the attacker she had a gun, the mask-wearing pair quickly hopped back in their car and sped away from the Brookside neighborhood.

Her friend said she thinks that’s what saved her life.

Anyone who witnessed the attack is urged to call the Kansas City Police Department.