KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville Police Department is investigating an alleged assault that happened early Monday morning near the University of Tennessee.
KPD says officers responded to a call about an assault at Cumberland Avenue and 17th Street around 8:50 a.m. on Monday. The two female victims, aged 18 and 20, say they were assaulted by a man in an unprovoked attack.
An eyewitness pointed officers in the direction of 43-year-old suspect Brad Collins., who was found and detained on scene, KPD says. When asked what happened, Collins said that he was mad and hungover.
According to a police report, the first victim stated that Collins was walking in front of her when he stopped in front of University Liquors. When she went to walk around him, Collins struck her in the right eye with a closed fist and choked her to the point she could not breathe, before letting go and running down the street.
The second victim reports that she was walking on the sidewalk when Collins ran across the street towards her. She says she was attempting to not make eye contact with Collins when he hit her in the eye with a closed fist, according to the report.
One victim was checked at the site with a swollen eye and redness in her neck while the other was taken to Fort Sanders Medical Center to be treated for a large bleeding cut above her eye, KPD said.
Collins has been taken into custody and charged with one count of assault and one count of aggravated assault, according to Knoxville police.
We will update you as we learn more.