1 arrested, 1 hurt in early-morning assault

By Allison Sundaram

A Santa Clara student was arrested shortly after midnight Saturday on suspicion of domestic violence after police say he pushed a female student to the ground.

The student, whose name was withheld by police and school officials, was arrested about 1 a.m. Jan. 14 in the 800 block of Market Street after a bystander saw the alleged incident and flagged down a Campus Safety officer passing by.

The suspect, identified only as a student in his early 20s, had been arguing with the female student and pushed her down, according to Officer Patti Lynch, a Santa Clara Police Department spokeswoman.

Police said the student was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, a misdemeanor, because the couple had once dated two years ago. Under California law, domestic violence suspects face mandatory arrest.

The student was later released on bail, police said. The case has not yet been reviewed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, and no charges had been filed as of Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

The female student had mud on her knees, grass stains on the front of her arms, and received a small scratch, reports stated. While the student was arrested near university property, it was not confirmed where the female student fell and received those injuries.

The female student declined medical attention, Campus Safety reports stated.

Both students' ages and names would not be released by police, citing a California law that prohibits that information from being disclosed in cases involving domestic violence. University officials also declined to comment, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

The assault occurred during a relatively calm week as students returned back to winter quarter after a month of vacation.

Off campus, four houses neighboring each other in the 900 block of Bellomy Street threw parties on Wednesday that were broken up by police around midnight, neighborhood residents said.

Three of the houses received notices from police that a fine would be imposed if officers had to return following a second noise complaint.

Contact Allison Sundaram at (408) 554-4546 or asundaram@scu.edu.