Gainesville Police is investigating a sexual battery that happened at Tivoli Apartments on Wednesday night.
A woman was working out at the apartment’s gym, located at 2841 SW 13th St., when a man knocked on the door and she let him in at about 6:20 p.m., wrote GPD spokesperson Officer Ben Tobias in an email. He grabbed the woman and pulled her into the bathroom.
Police said the man attacked the woman, punched her in the face and grabbed her throat as he tried to take off her pants.
He exposed himself to her and forced her to perform an unknown sexual act, Tobias said.
After, she called 911 and police arrived 20 minutes after the incident. Responding officers and a police dog were unable to locate the suspect, Tobias said.
The woman told police the man was about 18 to 21 years old, weighed 180 to 210 pounds and was clean shaven. At the time of the attack, the black man was wearing a red, white and blue striped polo shirt and khaki shorts, Tobias said.
“Detectives are out today looking for potential witnesses and any other evidence,” Tobias said Thursday.
Officers increased patrols in the area, and UF Public Safety sent out an alert to students about the incident.
