Two students were assaulted at El Camino College, one being punched twice in the back and falling after being chased, El Camino College police said.

The first incident took place when a student worker was waiting to be picked up in front of the Administration Building at 5:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 6.

The undeclared major who wished to remain anonymous, 24, told The Union that he was waiting for his ride home at the base of the metal sculpture in the Administration Plaza when he heard a woman crossing Crenshaw Boulevard, screaming for help, and chased by a man.

As he began walking towards the police station, the man saw the student and began to chase him instead.

In addition to hitting the student twice, the man also tried to grab him, but fell into the bushes outside the Administration Plaza.

This gave the student enough time to get up and run into the station.

“Some guy is chasing me. He was chasing me just now. He might still be chasing me,” the student said to Officer Shahbaz Zaidi and Sgt. Ruben Lopez, who were on duty the Monday of the incident.

The man eventually fled to a different part of the ECC campus, where he assaulted another person, according to police footage.

“I feel they [campus police] could have done a better job,” the student worker said. “They could have searched better or at least asked around for witnesses at the scene. I don’t think they did that.”

Chief Matthew Vander Horck said that when approached by a victim at the police station, officers are taught to ensure the victim is safe, to assess what happened and to establish if it’s a crime; and if so, to investigate that crime.

His deputies needed to stay and take down the report, he said.

According to Vander Horck, there were no other reports made regarding either incident, other than the one made by the student worker; but footage showed the suspect swinging wildly at another person on campus.

“We’ve identified the suspect,” Vander Horck said. “The only thing we can’t do is arrest the person because [the student worker] is non-desirous of prosecution.”

The student decided not to file charges against the suspect due to an unwillingness to take the case to court.

“I do feel less safe, but I am now twice as vigilant,” the student said. “I am going to try to be as fast and I am going to wait inside of buildings when people come to pick me up. I’m not going to stand around in the open.”

The case remains open.

Campus police said the crime was deemed a misdemeanor, and therefore no Timely Warning was sent out.

A Timely Warning was released after reports of women being fondled on campus were made earlier this month, where the suspect has since been released from the Torrance City Jail on misdemeanor charges.

The Clery Act requires an institution to alert the campus community of Clery-designated crimes that pose a “serious or on-going threat” in a timely manner to prevent similar events from happening.

Battery and assault are not included in the list of Clery crimes.

“Certain components have to be met, ” Clery Act Compliance Coordinator Nina Wong said. “For this incident, battery is not a Clery Act of crime.”

Editor’s note:

• This post was updated Wednesday, Oct. 22, to clarify information in the headline and in the story regarding Timely Warnings and the Clery Act.