Issue date: 2/1/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Chris Poliquin The lock from a Drexel student's apartment was shot off the door by a second-year Penn Law student yesterday. The student has been charged with assault.

A second-year Penn Law student was arrested yesterday after he allegedly fired about 15 shots into the door of his downstairs neighbors' apartment at 4339 Pine St., Lt. John Walker of the Philadelphia Police said.

The Penn student - whose name will not be released until he is arraigned - is being charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, burglary and other related charges.

No one was injured in the incident.

At about 12:30 p.m. yesterday, the student attempted to enter the apartment of his neighbors, two male Drexel University students, Walker said.

After the Drexel students did not answer their door, the Penn student returned to his second-floor apartment, retrieved a Glock 9mm handgun and allegedly fired 13 to 15 shots into the locked door, Walker said.

When the Penn student entered the apartment, only one Drexel student was inside. The Drexel student remained hiding behind his bed for the entire time that the Penn student was in the apartment, Walker said.

The Penn student did not find the Drexel student, who escaped the incident unharmed, Walker said.

The Penn student then left the building. He was apprehended by the police when he returned to the building at about 12:45 p.m.

He attempted to assault the Drexel students because he believed that they were spying on him, Walker said.

This belief was spurred by a conversation that occurred yesterday morning in which the Penn student learned the two Drexel students were from India and studying biomedical engineering, Walker said.

The Penn student, who is Korean, became "irate" that the Drexel students were studying here after he learned they were from India, Walker said.

Walker added that the suspect had been living in the apartment for less than 30 days.

The Southwest Detective Division is handling the investigation because it is outside the Penn Police's patrol zone, which extends from 30th to 43rd streets and from Baltimore Avenue to Market Street.

After hearing about the shooting, neighbors seemed alarmed by the day's events.

"I'm a little bit anxious about this," said Cooper Wriston, a visiting Medical student from Duke University who lives across the street from the student. Wriston added that he was "shocked" by the incident.

University spokeswoman Lori Doyle declined to comment.

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