Bellevue College in Washington closes campus after reported rape by knife-wielding suspect

Bellevue College in Washington closed its campus Tuesday after reports of a rape by a knife-wielding attacker, police said.

The sexual assault is reported to have occurred on the campus just outside of Seattle around 9 a.m., according to a Bellevue Police news release. An 18-year-old woman told officers that an unidentified man raped her at knifepoint in the women's restroom of one of the buildings on campus, police said.

The woman was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and then interviewed by detectives, police said.

The woman described her attacker as a clean-shaven, white, college-aged man who was last seen wearing an unknown color hoodie, police said. An investigation is underway by Bellevue Police.

Bellevue campus closed following report

After posting an alert about an "incident reported" on X, the school announced on its website that the campus was closed.

In an update at 12 p.m., police said detectives are still working with the reporting woman to "reconcile inconsistencies between the information she is reporting and the evidence found at the scene." 

Bellevue Police did rule out any ongoing threat to the school or local community at this time.

Bellevue Police offer safety tips to the public

The Bellevue Police Department offered some personal safety tips to the public when they're out alone.

• Avoid walking alone. Be confident and walk with purpose.
• Choose busy, well-lit streets and avoid isolated areas, alleys and vacant lots.
• Walk facing traffic to see approaching cars.
• Earphones/Air pods make you less able to sense potential danger.
• Keep valuables in an inside pocket and hold your purse under your arm so they are harder to snatch.
• Don’t use your phone while walking, pay attention to your surroundings and walk in a different direction if you feel uncomfortable.
• Call 911 to report any suspicious behavior