{ "id": "2026-09-15-university-of-southern-california-mccarthy-way-aggravated-assault", "slug": "university-of-southern-california-mccarthy-way-aggravated-assault-2026-09-15", "institution": { "name": "University of Southern California", "shortName": "USC", "state": "CA", "type": "private-r1", "alertSystemName": "TrojansAlert", "enrollment": 49000 }, "incident": { "date": "2026-09-15", "type": "aggravated-assault", "cleryCategory": "timely-warning", "resolution": "under-investigation", "headline": "Aggravated assault at the McCarthy Way gate", "headlinePublic": "Aggravated assault at the McCarthy Way gate", "summary": "USC DPS [posted an aggravated-assault timely warning for a beating at the McCarthy Way Gate Entrance](https://dps.usc.edu/2026/09/15/aggravated-assault-30/).", "outcome": "Suspect fled in a white Audi sedan, California plate 8XSM073. Report 2603242. Investigation ongoing." }, "alerts": [ { "sequence": 1, "type": "initial", "timestamp": "2026-09-15T06:19:48-07:00", "channel": "email", "verbatimText": "Incident Description: A white vehicle stopped near the victim’s security post, and the suspect exited and approached the victim. The victim attempted to flee but fell, after which the suspect repeatedly punched and kicked the victim. The suspect then entered the vehicle and fled the area in an unknown direction.\n\nReported Offense: Aggravated Assault\n\nDate & Time of Occurrence: 09/15/2026 12:15 a.m.\n\nLocation: On campus at the McCarthy Way Gate Entrance\n\nReport Number: 2603242\n\nVehicle Description: Four door white Audi sedan with California license plate number 8XSM073\n\nSuspect Description (provided by reporting party):\n\nAge: 32 years old\nEye Color: Brown\nHair Color: Black\nHeight: 5 feet 11 inches\nRace: Hispanic\nSex: Male\nWeight: 150 pounds\nAdditional Description: Wearing a dark-colored Oakland A’s baseball cap, a baggy dark-colored short-sleeved shirt, dark-colored shorts, long white socks, dark-colored shoes, and a goatee.\nWeapon: None\n\nIf you are in immediate DANGER, call the Los Angeles Police Department at 911 or the USC Department of Public Safety at (213) 740-4321.\n\nPlease note that race, ethnicity, gender and/or religious affiliation are NOT considered the basis for suspicion; only behaviors are considered suspicious.\n\nIf you have any questions or information relevant to the crime(s) reflected in this alert, immediately call DPS at (213) 740-6000 for the University Park Campus (UPC), (323) 442-1000 for the Health Sciences Campus (HSC) or (213) 485-6571 for the LAPD Southwest Division.\n\nThe Department of Public Safety (DPS) issues Crime Alerts to the university community, in compliance with the Clery Act, when a criminal incident occurs within USC’s Clery geography and represents either a serious or continuing threat to the safety of students, employees and others.\n\nThe purpose of this warning is to aid in the prevention of similar crimes by alerting the community about the incident and to provide information which allows individuals to make informed decisions about their personal safety.\n\nUSC Department of Public Safety Recommendations - Aggravated Assault\n\n- If you are assaulted, immediately go to a safe location and report the crime to law enforcement. For the University Park Campus (UPC) call DPS emergency at (213) 740-4321, for the Health Sciences Campus (HSC) call (323) 442-1000 or call the Los Angeles Police Department at 911.\n\n- If you observe an assault in progress, STAY CALM AND CALL DPS emergency for UPC at (213) 740-4321, for HSC call (323) 442- 1000 or the LAPD at 911. Do not attempt to apprehend any suspects or perpetrators of crime. Your personal safety and the safety of others around you should be your primary concern.\n\n- Not every person you meet has good intentions. Be cautious of strangers, and keep a safe distance. There is safety in numbers, so travel with friends.\n\n- Avoid using cell phones or other technology while walking as criminals target distracted, inattentive individuals using them.\n\n- Be a good witness: It is important to recall what you observed and provide as many details as possible to law enforcement such as: the sex, race, age, height, hair color, clothing, tattoos, scars of any suspects and a description of the make and model of any vehicle used in the crime and its license plate if possible.\n\n- Do not attempt to apprehend any suspects or perpetrators of crime.\n\nFor other options to contact DPS, report crime, and ask for help, please visit USC DPS Report a Crime .\n\nUSC Transportation provides options to travel around USC including the Lyft Rides Program:\n\n- Get a Ride: Lyft is available at HSC and UPC to cover shared rides. Lyft at UPC is open from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week (*o n home football game days, the program begins 5 hours after scheduled kickoff) . Lyft at HSC is open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., Monday through Friday only. Please visit the USC Lyft page for more information.\n\n- Verify your driver and car: Once you have requested a Lyft ride, you can view the driver’s rating. When your ride arrives, make sure the driver’s photo, license plate number, and vehicle description match. Never take a ride you did not request or get into a car that doesn’t match the details provided by the Lyft app.\n\n- Go the extra mile: The Lyft app’s “share your ETA” function allows you to invite friends to see your trip in real-time. The app will draft a text message you can share with friends that includes your ETA and a link to a live map that allows them to track your trip. Too much effort? Call a friend and stay on the line while you’re in the car instead.\n\nTo receive more information from USC DPS, please register for TrojansAlert:\n\n- TrojansAlert: Register for USC’s emergency notification system TrojansAlert t o allow university officials to contact you during an emergency by sending messages via text message and email. (Please note that students, staff and faculty automatically are signed up for TrojansAlerts.\n\nFor additional USC Resources, please visit USC Report & Response.", "isVerbatimConfirmed": true, "confidence": "high", "sourceUrl": "https://dps.usc.edu/2026/09/15/aggravated-assault-30/", "sourceDescription": "USC DPS aggravated-assault-30 timely warning", "annotations": [ "Dual-fetch COMPLETE MATCH as packaged. En dash in Safety Recommendations heading normalized to hyphen. sha256 16985d705486f31f74e20cbcc06e4f8f5d8febc6a049b1058180d376f8e10df9 chars=5007.", "Distinct incident from 2026-09-13-university-of-southern-california-32nd-figueroa-robbery: different date, McCarthy Way aggravated assault vs 32nd/Figueoa robbery.", "Distinct incident from 2026-08-12-university-of-southern-california-aggravated-assault-robbery: different date and location." ], "characterCount": 5007 } ], "context": "USC DPS posted the timely warning at [dps.usc.edu/2026/09/15/aggravated-assault-30](https://dps.usc.edu/2026/09/15/aggravated-assault-30/).", "keyFindings": [ "Official DPS crime alert for a 12:15 a.m. aggravated assault at the McCarthy Way Gate Entrance. Report 2603242." ], "sources": [ { "title": "USC DPS aggravated-assault-30 timely warning", "url": "https://dps.usc.edu/2026/09/15/aggravated-assault-30/", "type": "official-archive", "accessDate": "2026-09-21", "archiveUrl": null, "archiveNotes": "SPN not attempted after 500 flap at 07:36Z" } ], "confidence": "high", "tags": [ "private-r1", "california", "usc", "aggravated-assault", "timely-warning", "fresh-week" ], "dateAdded": "2026-09-21", "lastUpdated": "2026-09-21", "addedBy": "ingestion" }