Earlier today, USC’s Department of Public Safety emailed students warning them that a man suspected of attempted sexual battery was released after being arrested outside Wallis Annenberg Hall for trespassing on Wednesday.
“A suspect in multiple recent DPS reports, [Israel] Jherson Araujo, which was the subject of a DPS crime alert and incident resolution alert sent out to the university community last week, has been released from custody,” DPS wrote in the email. “[Araujo] was arrested on the UPC campus for trespassing yesterday, booked into LAPD custody again, and is released as of today.”
Annenberg Media confirmed with booking information obtained from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department website that the man’s name is Israel Jherson Araujo, despite multiple misspellings in the DPS community safety advisory note.
In the community safety advisory message, DPS also said Araujo was detained by DPS on February 20 for alleged lewd conduct, February 22 for alleged lewd conduct and was arrested on February 27 for alleged sexual battery. The advisory said he was also listed as a suspect for attempted sexual battery on February 27.
According to LASD booking records, Araujo was booked into jail on February 27 and released March 4. In an email to Annenberg Media, Assistant Chief of DPS David Carlisle said Araujo was detained March 5 by DPS and transferred to LAPD custody, who released him earlier today. LASD has no record online of Araujo being booked into jail after that date, and Los Angeles Police Department officials did not respond to requests for comment before the publication of this article.
Carlisle added that on March 5, Araujo was “identified at the gates as a restricted person by the Campus Welcome Team,” which then notified DPS, “who made the arrest.”
When asked how Araujo was able to walk past the campus welcome team, which Carlisle said were not “yellow jackets,” he said he “[did] not know the details of the initial contact.”
When asked for a copy of an incident report, Carlisle responded, “Sorry, no” in an email.
Carlisle also clarified the role of the campus welcome team, stating they “don’t physically detain uncooperative people” and are instead instructed to call DPS.
The DPS email advises students to “be aware of [their] surroundings” and “use good judgment.”
Students reacted on Sidechat to the community note, expressing their concern about the incident. Many questioned how Araujo was able to access campus, especially given the security checkpoints outside the gates that surround it.
One student reshared a screenshot of the community advisory note, stating “DPS after letting a known predator through the “security checkpoints” that literally do nothing.”
This incident also comes two days after University President Carol Folt affirmed that there has been a “significant” reduction in crime since the gates’ introduction in April 2024.
Students are urged to contact DPS at (213) 740-4321 (UPC) or (323) 442-1000 (HSC) if they see Araujo in or around USC property.