A 20-year-old University of Minnesota student clearing snow off her car near campus was ambushed from behind and raped in a parking lot late at night, authorities said. The suspect remains at large.

The attack occurred in a residential lot about 12:45 a.m. Monday near 8th Street and 13th Avenue SE., about two blocks northwest of various university athletic buildings and facilities, according to campus police.

As the woman was clearing her car of freshly fallen snow, a man sneaked up from behind and sprayed a chemical irritant in her face, university police said in a campus crime alert sent to students, staff members and others.

The man then forced the woman to the ground and raped her before fleeing down an alley, U police added.

The woman was treated at Hennepin County Medical Center, according to the Minneapolis Police Department, which is handling the investigation.

The alert said an image of the suspect was caught on university surveillance video. Campus police released a description of the suspect that included few specifics.