A University of Minnesota student was sexually assaulted in a Marcy-Holmes parking lot early Monday morning.

The victim was scraping snow from her car near the intersection of Eighth Street Southeast and 13th Avenue Southeast at about 1 a.m. when the suspect approached her from behind and sprayed a “chemical irritant” in her face, according to a crime alert sent to University faculty members, students and staff.

The man forced the victim to the ground, raped her and then fled through an alley, the alert said.

Minneapolis police searched the area but could not locate the suspect, the alert said. The victim was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment.

University surveillance cameras caught a picture of the suspect, but the description in the alert provided few specifics.

Minneapolis police are investigating the incident, said the department’s Public Information Officer John Elder. Police are asking anyone with information on the incident to call their tip line at 612-692-8477.

The University of Minnesota Police Department’s daily crime log includes a rape that occurred on March 16 near the intersection of 14th Avenue Southeast and Fourth Street Southeast in Dinkytown. A crime alert wasn’t sent to the University community for that incident, and it’s unclear whether the two sexual assaults are related.