A University employee was violently assaulted Wednesday evening during an attempted robbery, according to police reports.

A Chicago Police Department (CPD) spokesperson told the Maroon that the victim, a 28-year-old woman who works at the University of Chicago Medical Center, was approached by a male, black offender in his 30s at 8:19 p.m. on the 5400 block of South Ellis Avenue. The CPD did not release her name, citing privacy concerns.

According to the witness’s statement, the man produced a blue-steel handgun and tried to take the victim’s purse. She tried to walk away, claiming she had no money in the purse, but the offender struck her several times in the head with the handgun. Police found her purse on her person.

After police and paramedics arrived, she was taken to Stroger Hospital on the West Side. She is in guarded condition, according to police reports.

Executive Director of the University of Chicago Police Department Rudy Nimocks sent out a message to University e-mail addresses late Wednesday night, informing University affiliates of the attack. It was the first use of the Security Alert system unveiled this year to share relevant information about neighborhood crimes with the University community.