A student attacked his ex-girlfriend and her study partner in the Library Thursday before ditching a large knife in the trash as he fled, according to the Santa Barbara police department.

The suspect punched the woman in the face while she was studying in the Luria Library with a partner in the afternoon.

He then fled through the West Campus turnaround, stopping briefly to toss an 8-inch kitchen knife into the trash.

The suspect is being pursued by police and has not been apprehended, a police spokesman said.

Campus security initally responded to the incident and then called in the police.

Sources from both agencies provided this account:

The victim was studying with a male friend when the suspect approached them. He asked the victim’s friend if he “was not banging anymore.”

The friend responded that he was not “banging” and walked away. The suspect then threw a bottle of water at him and missed.

The suspect then punched the victim on the left side of her face, which caused her to yell his name, law enforcement sources said.

The victim’s friend returned to check on her as the suspect ran outside to the West Campus turnaround near the Business–Communication Center.

The victim told police that she saw him stop near a trash can and put something into it, but wasn’t able to see what it was. The suspect ran off and the victim called her mother, who alerted Campus Security.

A witness told security officers that the pair was studying quietly and did nothing to provoke the suspect, who reportedly was the woman’s ex-boyfriend.

Eric Fricke, Campus Security director, said he later spoke with the victim to see if the suspect had been found. The woman said the suspect had not returned her last call, but when they spoke earlier, he had asked if she had called the cops. She didn’t answer him.

He interpreted her silence as a yes, and said to her, “I hope you’re happy, now I’m going to do something,” the report said.