CAMBRIDGE, MA - A man in his forties has been accused of sexually assaulting multiple people on Thursday, October 1 in a locker room at a Planet Fitness on a college campus in Massachusetts.
The alleged suspect, 40-year-old Laquan Holland, reportedly committed the sexual assault in the gym's women's locker room around 9:00 a.m., authorities stated, according to PEOPLE. The gym is a private business that resides on the bottom floor of Lesley University's University Hall.
A male member entered the gym with a female guest, and an alleged sexual assault incident occurred between the two of them. A gym crew member was able to intervene and called the authorities. Holland allegedly went into the locker room and assaulted several people.
Upon arriving on scene, police identified Holland as the suspect, and one person was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Following the alleged incident, the Planet Fitness franchise group canceled Hollands's membership. "Planet Fitness is committed to providing a safe environment for all," a spokesperson for the franchise said, adding that the group is "working with local law enforcement to support their investigation into this matter."
Since the incident, frequent gym members said that they are now concerned for their safety. Dr. Yena Do said that before this incident she "always felt safe" at the gym. "Now that I’ve heard that this had happened, I’ll definitely have to look behind my back, which is not a great feeling,” Do said. “I’m going there to work out, undressing out of my scrubs and get into my workout clothes. I’m definitely going to think about that."
Sophia Holloway, a Lesley University student, echoed the sentiment, calling the incident "horrible" and "a big tragedy," adding, "Everyone should be able to feel safe and secure wherever they are. Women out here face such hardships, and I think that the world needs to know that it’s not OK."
Police said they are still investigating exactly what happened, NBC10 reported. Holland was officially charged at his arraignment in Cambridge District Court on Friday, October 2.
Comments