College Student Accused of Disguising Himself as High School Runner, Attacking Student With Rocks

A college runner pulled off a daring, seemingly pre-planned assault on a high school runner complete with disguises and an ambush.

According to Fox 5, Aiden Dombrowski was arrested and charged with battery on Saturday, September 26, after driving from his college campus at the University of Georgia in Athens more than 100 miles to Newnan, Georgia, where a cross-country running meet with high schoolers from across Coweta County was going to take place the following day.

The outlet reports he slept in his car and then put on an East Coweta High School jersey the following morning and snuck his way onto the running course. Once there, witnesses say he hid until he saw a high school student believed to be his intended target running on the course, per Fox5. He reportedly emerged from the woods holding rocks and attacked the unnamed high schooler, who defended himself, giving Dombrowski a gash above his right eye and causing him to flee the scene.

The New York Post reports that Dombrowski ditched his high school running disguise in his car and seemingly put on another high school’s tracksuit before turning himself in to police.

According to police body camera footage obtained by Fox5, Dombrowski claimed the incident was a prank, but said he did not know the other person, describing him as an “acquaintance.”

There is still no information about his motive for driving the long distance, waiting overnight and orchestrating the attack beyond his excuse of it being a prank. Dombrowski was a runner himself at Northgate High School before attending the University of Georgia. According to his NCSA profile, he had ambitions of breaking the 15 minute 5k and 4-minute mile records.