A female Georgetown student was confronted and attacked while walking home early Friday morning. An investigation continues by the Department of Public Safety and the Metropolitan Police Department.

The assault occurred on the 3300 block of O Street, less than four blocks from campus at around 3 a.m. The student was not physically injured and required no medical attention.

According to a DPS bulletin warning residents of the assault, a man approached the student and began to follow her. He called himself Sammy, said he had money and tried to start a conversation with the student. When she demanded that he leave her alone, he grabbed her and the two fell down into some bushes alongside the sidewalk.

The student began to scream for help and the attacker attempted to quiet her by claiming he had a knife and threatening to kill her. She continued to scream when a resident of the neighborhood opened her door and the student escaped into the house. The attacker fled from the scene.

Department of State police officers who are stationed at U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright’s house heard the scream and came to investigate. They flagged down a passing DPS car that had just finished escorting a student home from campus. MPD, DPS and State Department police officers canvassed the area looking for the attacker but could not find him.

The victim told DPS her attacker was 5-foot-10 and approximately 165 pounds and of Middle Eastern descent. The morning of the assault he was wearing a pink shirt and blue jeans. She said the attacker spoke with an accent, had dark hair and was missing one of his front teeth.

MPD confirmed that a complaint had been filed with their department as well as DPS and an investigation was in progress; however, they could not comment on the progress of the investigation. DPS did not return several phone calls placed yesterday. This was up 14 percent from the previous year, but down 143 percent from a high of 354 in 1993.

In a bulletin to students, DPS emphasized the importance of traveling in pairs or groups during late hours. They recommend that if students cannot travel in groups, that they travel by car or cab if traveling several blocks. DPS also provides an escort service for students. Students may use this service, Saferides, which runs Sunday through Wednesday from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. and Thursday through calls placed yesterday.

According to crime statistics, aggravated assaults occur infrequently on and near campus. Before this assault, DPS reports showed one aggravated assault during the past three years on campus. This number includes complaints that DPS responds to off campus as well, but does not include assaults classified as sexual offenses.

Last year, MPD reported 143 aggravated assaults in the second district, which includes all of Northwest D.C. west of Rock Creek Parkway.Saturday from 8 p.m. until 3 a.m., by calling DPS at 687-4343. The free service escorts students from campus to off-campus residences and from off campus back to campus within a certain set radius of the university.