A recent outbreak of violent crime at the university, including an assault and a fight that took place within 10 minutes of each other in the early morning last week, has prompted the Department of Public Safety to increase weekend patrols around campus beginning today.

According to a DPS public safety alert, a student was assaulted on Reservoir Road near St. Mary’s Hall at 1:15 a.m. on March 4.

The student, who Vice President for University Safety David orrell said is enrolled at the Medical Center, reported to DPS that he was punched and kicked by six or seven unidentified black males. After his attackers fled, the student reported the incident to the Metropolitan Police Department.

The victim did not suffer any serious injuries, the alert said.

Morrell said that DPS also responded to a fight near Henle Village after receiving an anonymous call at 1:26 a.m., only 11 minutes after the incident on Reservoir Road.

DPS apprehended three individuals, although others escaped from the scene before officers arrived. All three were visitors to Georgetown, Morrell said.

Morrell said it initially seemed that the two crimes might have been linked, as the assault victim reported his attackers fleeing in the direction of Henle and the fight there took place so quickly after the assault. However, he said that MPD, which has taken over the investigation, could not establish any connection between the assailants on Reservoir Road and the three individuals apprehended by DPS. He said that there have been no other suspects or leads in either incident.

Morrell said that these incidents and other recent violent crimes have prompted DPS to increase Friday and Saturday patrols starting this weekend.

“Whatever crime happens on campus is unnerving,” orrell said. “That’s why we’re increasing patrols.”

Last month, two campus visitors were struck with a brick by an unknown assailant outside Reiss Science Building. Both required hospitalization. Less than one hour later, two students were allegedly assaulted on the roadway between New South Hall and Village C.

Morrell said that along with DPS officers, he and other administrative officials, including Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson, will help patrol campus on weekend nights.

The patrols will focus on the area between Red Square and Reservoir Road, the scene of several of the campus’ recent crimes, Morrell said.

He said, however, that this would not decrease patrols elsewhere on campus.

“We certainly are not going to abandon other parts of campus,” Morrell said.

Morrell said that he expects the added patrols to continue as long as necessary, although they will impose additional costs on the university for overtime pay.

This would be at least the second time this school year that the university has increased patrols around campus in response to rashes of physical altercations and assaults.

In September, Georgetown added patrols to areas on- and off-campus following a brawl outside Reiss Science Building and an assault inside a student’s Alumni Square apartment later that weekend.

Both times, the increased safety measures included added patrols on the northern side of campus. The area on the north side of campus between Red Square and Reservoir Road, where the new weekend patrols will be added starting today, has been the site of at least three large-scale altercations and assaults this academic year, all of which required MPD responses.