NEWS RELEASE
East Carolina University News Services
For immediate release
Contact: Mary Schulken, executive director of communication, public affairs and marketing, (252) 328-6481
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Arrest made in game day assault, second suspect sought
GREENVILLE (9-04-2013)—East Carolina University Police have made an arrest following an assault that occurred in a parking lot at 5:40 p.m. before the home football game Saturday.
A second suspect is being sought in connection with this assault, ECU Police report.
Blade Hunter Perdue, 21, of Clayton was charged Tuesday with assault inflicting serious injury and simple assault. Perdue is not a current or past ECU student, according to the university registrar’s office. His bond was set at $5,000.
“Safety is a priority at East Carolina University – regardless of event,” said Lt. Chris Sutton with ECU Police. “This incident is not a reflection of our typical game day behavior. It will not be tolerated and needed staff adjustments will be made to continue to provide a safe and exciting game day experience.”
Chancellor Steve Ballard and Student Government Association President Tim Schwan issued a joint statement:
“Safety is a priority at East Carolina University and the university’s top leadership strongly condemns the kind of behavior that took place. We want to join together to state clearly that violent behavior is not acceptable, not consistent with our shared Pirate values and will not be tolerated on our campus or at our events. Those responsible should be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.
“The response by ECU Police has been swift and laudable, with a prompt arrest and an intense search for additional suspects. That represents hard work to ensure this kind of behavior remains an anomaly here.
“As the investigation continues, if it is determined any of those involved are connected with the university, we will follow established internal processes and take strong appropriate steps in order to protect safety on our campus and at our public events.”
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