A campus police officer was left with scars after a man allegedly punched him over summer break during an attempt to arrest the suspect at the University of the Incarnate Word.
The arrest is one of at least 60 incidents reported in the University of the Incarnate Word Police Department’s crime log.
Most of these involved suspicious people trespassing on campus or people partaking in suspicious activity; however, campus police had to handle reports of theft, a break-in and someone assaulting a UIW officer.
Who are the suspicious people?
Students, faculty and campus staff can report people they deem suspicious to UIW PD. Officers investigate and determine whether to issue a trespass warning or let the person go.
Aug. 19 was another occasion of a suspicious person on campus, but it quickly turned violent when a man allegedly attacked a UIW PD officer, according to an offense report.
Campus police responded around 3:30 p.m. to a suspicious man yelling at UIW staff at Founders Hall, the report said. The suspect, identified as Andres Tizoc Gutierrez-Delgadillo, 30, walked past the Founders Hall entrance with an “agitated” look, with hands balled up into fists.
Gutierrez-Delgadillo allegedly shoved one officer and punched another in the face, causing the policeman to “bleed out,” according to his arrest report.
A Taser was used on Gutierrez-Delgadillo, and the officers arrested him, UIW PD said.
The officer who was punched stated he experienced “dizziness and blurred vision,” the police report said. He was taken to a hospital with cuts near his forehead and nose.
Gutierrez-Delgadillo was charged with assaulting a public servant, a third-degree felony, and criminal trespassing, a Class B misdemeanor, jail records show
The Logos found a combined 19 reports of suspicious people or activity on UIW property over summer break from May 15 to Aug. 23, 2026, in public crime records. Last year’s summer break reported 11 suspicious people or activity on campus.
Some reported suspicious people turned out to be dorm-room staff or an “unknown individual attempting to gain entry,” who was later identified as an Amazon worker. Other times, it could be someone wandering on campus who isn’t supposed to be there, according to UIW Police Chief John Catts.
“Generally, we have a lot of homeless people that kind of wander their way through the campus,” Catts told the Logos during a February visit to the police station.
The openness and location of UIW are reasons why non-students end up wandering on campus, according to San Antonio-native Charles Fergins, 18.
“It’s real close to downtown and I’d imagine there’s more homeless people downtown,” Fergins, a freshman, said. “But I mean, it is a university. Anyone can just walk in there.”
Catts believes the brick wall surrounding the main campus grounds doesn’t necessarily keep people from entering. He cited UIW’s shade as an enticing reason for people who may experience homelessness to visit the university.
Incarnate Word might light the way with bright Christmas colors scattered within the abundance of century-old oak trees, but leaves on branches also dim sunlight to keep temperatures down during scorching summer heat.
Summer break averaged approximately 92.4 degrees, with the hottest month being in August (99.7 degrees), according to the National Weather Service. Last summer averaged 94.3 degrees.
Catts said some suspicious people could have possible mental health issues or drug abuse that would endanger students.
Campus Safety
Records show there were 10 other crimes committed over summer break:
- 4 theft
- 3 criminal trespass
- 1 burglary of habitation
- 1 fraud
- 1 graffiti
Catts continues to call the campus safe, and Cardinal students seem to agree.
“I feel pretty safe on campus,” Marissa Navarro, 19, said.
The nursing student said she spends most of her time at Founders Hall working for a clinic. Navarro usually sits outside to enjoy her lunch breaks, except for one instance a week before school started in August when she returned to panic and uncertainty among her coworkers.
“I was so confused why everyone was freaking out,” Navarro said.
Quickly, rumors of a potential threat on campus spread, Navarro said. Thankfully, it turned out to be a false alarm.
“We figured out like 30 minutes later that it was just a homeless guy threatening,” Navarro said.
Giselle Bautista, 20, agreed with Navarro that UIW feels safe, but also recalled a moment of fear from when she used to live in the Avoca apartments last spring.
According to the UIW police chief, Jose Roberto Medina, 30, unlawfully broke into a room at the Avoca residence on April 30 and exposed himself to a female student.
Bautista admitted she moved out of that area because of the break-in.
“I would say Avoca is probably the least safe (residency) just because it’s like access to literally anyone,” Bautista said.
New facility
People in UIW PD custody have a temporary room to themselves as part of the Founder Hall renovation. Campus police moved into a new facility in suite G041A that includes three detention cells, a training room and an area dedicated to interviewing people.
These upgrades come roughly 30 years after being headquartered in Clement Hall, a dorm room adjacent to the Student Engagement Center.
Both police stations are available for people to report incidents, the police chief said. He understands how far Founders Hall might be for people who live on campus and made sure both locations were open to keep students safe at night.
“I pushed it to allow us to keep that glass area so that after hours, like 6 p.m., 7 p.m., if a student wanted to make a report or come by the PD, and we didn’t want them crossing the street at night,” Catts said.
The glass room in the Clement Hall is still available to make reports to police, but the rest of the old station was given to E-Sports, Catts said.
The new facility includes two cells for adults and one specifically for juveniles, something they didn’t have before.
Gutierrez-Delgadillo was placed in UIW PD’s holding cell before being taken to the Bexar County Adult Detention Center, the police report said.
Catts asked the Logos and UIWTV not to photograph certain areas of the police station because of security concerns, but gave us a brief tour of the prohibited area.
Suspects in UIW PD custody are placed in the rock-solid cell with blue cement walls, a metal bench and a camera up on the ceiling. A drain is placed in the center of the square cell to help custodial staff members clean the room around two to three times a day.
To be clear, not everyone in UIW PD custody will be booked into the Bexar County jail. Catts said the room is used for officers to finish up investigations and write up reports of the people in custody.
If people feel unsafe or have information related to a crime at or near campus, they are urged to contact UIW PD at (210) 829-6030 or visit one of the police stations in Founders Hall (Ground Floor, Suite G041A) or in Clement Hall.
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