A 21-year-old man has been arrested after a Louisiana State University freshman reported being raped at gunpoint inside a campus dormitory in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The suspect, identified as Ronald White of New Orleans, faces charges of first-degree rape, resisting an officer, marijuana possession, and carrying a firearm on school property following the alleged October 23, 2026, assault.
According to WBRZ, LSU Police received a report around 11:15 p.m. concerning a woman who said she had been sexually assaulted inside Spruce Hall, a residence hall primarily housing first-year students.
The LSU dorm assault reportedly occurred after the woman visited a friend who lived in the building.
According to arrest warrant details obtained by WAFB, the woman’s friend invited a male acquaintance to her room. That individual arrived accompanied by White, whom the alleged victim reportedly had never met.
Within minutes, White allegedly suggested that he and the woman leave the room to give the other two people privacy.
Investigators said the pair entered a study room on the building’s fourth floor, where the encounter allegedly became violent.
According to the arrest warrant, White pulled a black pistol from his waistband and placed it on a chair. The woman told investigators he then forced her to perform oral sex despite her objections.
According to the arrest warrant, the woman repeatedly refused his advances.
After the alleged assault, White reportedly instructed her to retrieve a paper towel. Instead, she went downstairs to the residence hall lobby and asked someone to contact LSU Police.
The woman also informed authorities that White was still inside the building when she sought assistance.
According to WBRZ’s account of the police report, responding officers attempted to approach White, but he allegedly refused their commands and ran from the building.
Investigators said he fled through a courtyard toward West Chimes Street before hiding underneath a parked vehicle near the intersection of West Chimes and Iowa streets.
Police eventually located and arrested him.
Officers reportedly discovered approximately seven grams of marijuana in White’s possession. Although authorities initially could not locate the firearm described by the woman, an updated WAFB report confirmed that LSU Police recovered a pistol the following morning along the route White allegedly used while fleeing officers.
LSU Police Sgt. Marlon Hawkins confirmed the recovery to WAFB. Authorities have not publicly established whether forensic testing connected the recovered weapon to the alleged assault.
During questioning, White reportedly acknowledged accompanying the woman into the study room but disputed her account of what happened.
According to investigators, he maintained that the sexual encounter was consensual and denied possessing or threatening her with a firearm.
White has not been convicted of the charges, and the allegations remain subject to the criminal justice process.
The LSU dorm assault has also prompted concerns among students living in Spruce Hall, particularly regarding the lack of an emergency notification.
Several residents told WAFB they learned about the incident without receiving an official campus safety alert.
Spruce Hall resident Sienna McCracken expressed her disbelief, saying, “It’s shocking… hearing that and now knowing,” while another resident, Clay Gabriel, said he normally receives notifications about reported crimes but did not receive one concerning this allegation.
WAFB questioned LSU Police about the decision not to notify students.
Hawkins explained that officers apprehended White within approximately ten minutes of his attempted escape, leading police to determine that there was no continuing danger requiring an emergency alert.
“There was no threat to campus safety at that time,” Hawkins said.
According to LSU’s official emergency notification policy, the university uses its LSUalert system to communicate serious emergencies, immediate threats, and situations requiring protective action.
The university’s policy allows authorities to assess emergencies individually and determine which members of the campus community need notification.
The reported LSU dorm assault has also raised questions about visitor access inside student housing.
According to LSU Residential Life, Spruce Hall is a four-story residence hall with capacity for approximately 400 students, shared community spaces, and designated study areas.
Under LSU’s residential housing rules, visitors who do not attend the university must meet their resident hosts at the building’s entrance and remain escorted while inside residential facilities.
University housing policies also prohibit guests from being left unattended without their resident hosts.
White was not enrolled at LSU, according to the New York Post. However, investigators have not publicly established exactly how he entered Spruce Hall or whether the university’s visitor procedures were followed that evening.
Authorities also identified an earlier encounter involving White and LSU Police.
According to the arrest warrant details reported by WAFB, White was previously arrested in connection with an October 12, 2024, incident involving an employee at a Wendy’s restaurant on the LSU campus.
Investigators alleged that White threatened to kill the employee with a firearm.
That earlier investigation was subsequently suspended after the alleged victim stopped cooperating with authorities. The previous allegation is separate from the current rape case and does not establish White’s guilt in either matter.
