A 19-year-old Temple University student suffered serious facial injuries after an attacker hit her with a brick only a block from campus Friday.
The student was walking with her 20-year-old boyfriend, who also attends Temple, near 16th and Norris streets around 6 p.m. when a group of about 10 teens and young children began taunting them, according to sources.
The group of attackers consisted of boys and girls ranging in age from about 8 to 14-years-old, according to the victim's boyfriend.
"A couple of them started to grab at her earrings and her hair," he said. "My instinct was to stop them from hurting us and leave and get away."
He says he asked the group to back off, but his request went unheard as a female member of the group took a brick and smashed his 19-year-old girlfriend in the face.
"Her teeth were out of place," he said. "It was terrible, it was terrifying."
The victim's teeth were dislocated and she suffered multiple other facial injuries.
She was rushed to Hahnemann University Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery to save and align her teeth.
"What scared me most," he said, "was that there were a lot more of them than us. So even though they were small kids, if they all had bricks, I might not be here talking to you right now."
The victim, who has been discharged from the hospital, was unable to speak to police Friday due to her injuries.
Officials with Temple University were unaware of the attack until NBC10 contacted them for a comment.
Temple police only respond to off-campus crimes if officers from the 22nd District request assistance, according to a school spokesman.
Investigators are still searching for the attackers.
Photo Credit: Temple University