Police have released the name of the man accused of assaulting a coworker at a U biomedical building Tuesday.
Qin Cai, an employee at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, was taken into custody after being accused of assaulting a 41-year-old female employee at the Biomedical Polymers Research Building.
Tuesday night, 30-year-old Cai was booked without bail into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail where he has been charged with aggravated assault, a second-degree felony.
Officers at the U Police Department received a call Tuesday at 5:08 p.m. from a man who said he was talking to his wife on the other line when he heard a scream and realized the connection had been lost. He attempted to call back, but she did not answer, U Police Sgt. Lynn Rohland said in a written statement.
Police checked the area where the woman usually parks at the fourth level of the Genetic Parking Terrace, but did not find the woman or her car. As officers searched the surrounding area, the woman approached them in her car to ask for help.
She was struck on her face and the back of her head with a rubber mallet, police reported. The woman remained in serious condition at the U Hospital on Tuesday night, but has since been released, U Police Sgt. Bob Garner said.
The victim’s name was not released because of an ongoing investigation, Garner said. However, Garner said the victim and suspect were acquaintances.
Police reported that the victim and Cai worked together before he transferred to the institute.
Numerous calls to two spokeswomen at the institute where Cai works were not returned.
“It appears the suspect had strong feelings for the victim, but when the victim did not reciprocate those feelings, he became angry with her,” Rohland said in a written statement. “The suspect had contact at least once with the victim during the day prior to the assault.”