According to a Public Safety crime alert, on Saturday at around midnight, an AU student was robbed at gunpoint near the trees of the Rockwood Building on the south side of campus.
After the student parked his vehicle, he walked to campus and was approached by two white men in their early to mid 20s. The two men, described as about 6-foot-1 and 5-foot-11, took the victim's wallet and hit him on the head. The suspects then fled the scene. The student reported that the two suspects ran through the trees onto Rockwood Parkway.
According to Mike McNair, the acting director of Public Safety, the student is OK. McNair said Public Safety informed the campus by putting out alerts to the residence halls, and letting the Metropolitan Police Department know about the robbery.
Although there are no leads, McNair said that armed robberies are typically crimes of opportunity.
"I want to reduce armed robberies by having more people walking around," McNair said, referring to his support for a paid student patrol.
McNair also wants more lighting on campus and asked MPD to increase patrols, although he said that MPD has a lot of territory to cover.
This was the second robbery in the past week on campus.
On Sunday, March 14, a robbery was reported near the School of International Service building. Although no weapons were used, the student was verbally threatened and gave the robber $40 in cash, The Eagle previously reported.
A Public Safety officer recognized the description and reported the suspect to the MPD. The suspect was later picked out of the police lineup by the victim and was charged with robbery by fear.
