Escaped Patient Shatters Windshield In H&SS Parking Lot

On Oct. 4, 2023, at 4:20 p.m., there was a woman on campus behaving erratically. 

The woman was pounding on cars, screaming and harassing students.

I arrived on the scene as things were starting to cool down. There were two campus police handling the situation. One was standing next to the woman as she lay on the ground and rolled around. The other police were getting statements from witnesses. 

I asked eyewitness Hunter Martin for his first-hand account of the situation: 

I was standing by my car near the walkway to H&SS when I heard a woman screaming. It was hard to make out what she was saying. I thought I heard something about a boyfriend (but I could be wrong). At first glance, I thought she was a student but then she slammed her arm against a random car window.

Then she made a B-line towards me and asked for a cigarette. I had my pack handy and gave her one in an effort to calm her down. It worked and she sat on the ground leaning against the wheel of my car. She was talking too fast to comprehend. But I saw a hospital band on her wrist and she wore grippy socks. I was wondering what to do when campus officers pulled up. Apparently, someone else had called about her erratic behavior. He asked me a few quick questions and talked to her. He was unable to get her name. Since he seemed to have it under control I got my lighter back from the woman and walked over to some bystanders.

They were the ones who made the call and I got more information from them. They saw the woman beating and breaking the windshield of one car. Then she hit their cars and allegedly took a swing at one girl before moving off towards me. An Aiken officer arrived and then an EMS truck. The officer got the information of the people whose cars were hit and they eventually got her into the EMS truck. 

I hope she gets the help she needs.

Since my cigarette stopped her rampage, I think I am the hero haha

The woman was removed from campus and it is unknown if the incident was further investigated.