Photo: KEREM YUCEL/AFP/Getty Images
The Madison Police Department reported that a suspect is in custody after A University of Wisconsin-Madison student was brutally beaten and sexually assaulted during the early hours of Sunday.
Brandon A. Thompson, 26, was charged with first degree sexual assault, first degree reckless battery and strangulation.police announced in an incident report.
On Sunday morning, Madison police received a call about a woman in her 20s who was severely beaten in the downtown Madison area around 3:20 a.m., police said.
The victim, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
“The victim, a woman in her 20s, is expected to survive the injuries she sustained in this attack.. She is a survivor of physical and sexual assault as a result of this incident,” authorities said.
Police initially believed the attack was a “stranger assault” and over the weekend detectives and investigators gathered physical, digital and biological evidence, police said.
In recent days, police have urged anyone with surveillance videos or photos in the downtown area where the assault occurred to turn them over to authorities for review.
“During the weekend, detectives and investigators gathered physical, digital and biological evidenceto. We still need some surveillance video from this area,” Madison police said in an update Tuesday.
“I have authorized a full complement of law enforcement resources to bring this person or persons to justice,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said during a news conference Sunday.
Following the brutal attack, police increased patrols in the area and encouraged residents not to walk alone in the area at night.
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