As LAPD detectives search for the person who fatally stabbed USC student Bryan Frost, the head of the university's Department of Public Safety has beefed up patrols on and around the campus in response to growing concerns of students and parents.
"We don't want them to have the impression that there are predators lurking in the darkness," said USC Dept. of Public Safety Captain David Carlisle. "This was a student having a confrontation with another person, so overall, we think USC is quite a safe place to go to school."
Frost was walking with two friends off campus when he got into a hostile exchange with a man. They ended up fighting, and Frost was stabbed. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
"I don't feel very safe here," said USC student Feisal Rasras. "I think my family is now worried about me."
Thursday night, more than a hundred USC students held a candlelight vigil.
USC DPS Captain Dave Carlisle said since the stabbing, he's been reassuring concerned parents that their college-age children are safe. Crime in the surrounding neighborhood, where a third of university students live, is reported to have dropped about 20 percent this year. Carlisle said they continue to urge students to make smart choices.
"Don't put yourself in a position to become a victim," said Captain Carlisle. "Don't walk alone late at night. Go in groups. Stay in well-lit areas, particularly if there has been alcohol involved. Don't go alone."
"It's pretty safe here. It's just that you need to keep a watch out. Lots of people looking at it, like DPS, they're always on guard. So you just need to look out for yourself," said USC student Bipin Prasad.
Police are working very hard to try to solve this case. Thursday, they served a search warrant on one of the units in a nearby apartment complex on Orchard Avenue. It's not clear what evidence they collected. No arrests have been made in relation to the stabbing of Frost.
If you have any information, you're asked to call the Los Angeles Police Department at (877) 529-3855.
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