Homeless Man Detained In USC House Break-In And Peeping: Report

LOS ANGELES, CA — A man suspected of breaking into a home shared by about a dozen female USC students was detained hours later Tuesday afternoon.

The break-in happened shortly after midnight Tuesday at a home a few blocks from campus in the 2700 block of Menlo Avenue, according to police. Several of the students said the man had previously been spotted peeking in their windows. Despite reporting the man to the USC Department of Public Safety, the students said nothing was done about the threat until he broke in.

A suspect was seen being handcuffed by campus police Tuesday afternoon, and he told police he was homeless, according to NBC Los Angeles, which first broke the news.

Students identified the suspect as the man who walked into their kitchen where a student was studying overnight, NBC reported.

The students showed reporters Ring camera footage of the man at the front door on Saturday. They said they contacted the campus Department of Public Safety at the time, but the man was never detained, so they called the Los Angeles Police Department in response to Tuesday's break-in.

"It makes zero sense that somebody can enter your home and then continue coming back to harass a group of 12 girls and face no repercussions," Molly Boland, a student who lives in the home, told ABC7.

She added, ""At this point, I don't have a doubt that he would come back and hurt us."

USC DPS Chief Lauretta Hill told KTLA that the students are urged to continue calling authorities if the man returns so he can be tracked down.

"The sooner they call us the quicker we can get on site," Hill said. "We can contact this individual and investigate whatever crime that we may have at that time."

DPS officials told the station that they have responded to the home three times previously about the suspect lingering in the area.

City News Service contributed to this report.