Warrant: George Mason University Rape Victim Ran Down Dorm Hallway Screaming for Help

George Mason University police are aggressively investigating a rape allegation against two male students accused of attacking a woman in a campus dorm.

Students learned of the alleged May 3 incident in an email alert.

"It just said there's a rape investigation going on," said rising GMU senior Meghan Brooks. "A female reported there were two males. That's all we really know about it."

But the newly filed search warrant affidavit seeking DNA samples and the suspect's cellphone provides much more detail. GMU police wrote that witnesses saw a woman running through the residence hall screaming for help, but one of the suspects chased her down the hallway, grabbing her and pulling her back into a room. Witnesses could see a second male student inside.

The victim broke free after a second attempt. Two students in a dorm lounge said she came in pleading for help, saying some males had violated her at a party.

A security camera captured one suspect fleeing from the dorm, police said. The other was found asleep in a room there. Also inside the room was the other suspect's red scarf and the victim's shoes. None of the three students lived in that room.

"To hear she was running down screaming, that’s really scary," said Ashley Jorgensen, who just completed her freshman year. "It's kind of surprising because our dorms are really safe. There are a lot of protocols in place. You have to swipe (a security card) into every building and every floor."

Police said the suspect found sleeping in the dorm room allowed them to see his cellphone. It showed many texts from the other suspect in the days after the alleged attack.

Police also looked at the victim's cellphone. They said she got multiple texts from the suspect who fled right after she contacted police. Investigators seem to suggest he wanted it to look like the victim made up the allegation. He allegedly wrote: "Chill, you don't have shoes," and "You're going to lie and ruin my life," and "I gotta call the cops."

All were written as they were knocking on his dorm room door that night, police said. He never answered.

Photos on the victim's phone show a shot of her, leaning against the suspect, appearing intoxicated, police said. He's also shown with his pants around his knees.

No charges have been filed yet in the case.

Students News4 spoke with said in spite of the investigation, they view their campus as very safe.

"To us it seems like a really safe campus and there's nothing we have to worry about," said Robyn Meier, who just graduated this week.

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