USC professor injured in student’s ‘unprovoked attack’ with metal water bottle, police say

A professor at the University of Southern California was taken to the hospital Monday after police say a student hit her in the head with a metal water bottle.

In “what appeared to be an unprovoked attack,” the female student entered a classroom in Dauterive Hall, a social sciences building, and walked over to the professor and struck her in the head, according to David Carlisle, the assistant chief of the university’s department of public safety.

Officials responded to the incident around 11 a.m. after several calls about the incident. Carlisle said he wasn’t sure if a class was in session, but said several other students were in the room.

The Los Angeles Fire Department transported the professor, who USC officials did not identify, to a hospital for treatment. As of Tuesday morning, it wasn’t clear the extent of her injuries.

The student, who was also not immediately identified, was arrested and booked by the Los Angeles Police Department on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.