A robbery occurred in a campus parking lot early Saturday morning. It was the second robbery to happen on campus this month.
The robbery took place at about 3 a.m. in a lot on East Helen Street, according to a University of Arizona Police Department report. Three male students were walking when two Hispanic men who appeared to be in their 20s approached them. The suspects assaulted the victims and took their personal property.
While no weapons were used or implied, one student sustained serious but not life threatening injuries, and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
One assailant was described as having a muscular build with brown hair and tattoos on both arms. He wore a white tank top and jeans. The second man had brown hair, but the victims could not describe any other features. Both suspects fled on foot, and were last seen running north across Mabel Street.
Although the robbery is the second one on campus in the last month, Sgt. Juan Alvarez, UAPD’s public information officer, said there are no signs that it is connected to the one that happened at the beginning of March.
“I do want to just remind the UA community … that the university is a safe place,” Alvarez said. “It’s just unfortunate that we’ve had two (robberies) this close together.”
Alvarez advises students to exercise certain safety tips when walking at night, which include walking with others, walking in well-lit areas and knowing where the blue light emergency phones are located.
“It is sketch, but honestly I feel like I can handle myself, especially if I’m with one other friend,” said pre-business freshman Jamil Hijazi. “For a girl it’d be scary, I bet, but personally I’m kind of impartial to it.”
Other students agreed, though they acknowledged that they take measures to reduce risks. Kelsey Rivers, a sophomore studying anthropology and linguistics, said she usually feels safe on campus, but still follows a few guidelines at night.
For others, the latest robbery is just another reason to allow concealed firearms on campus, an issue that has seen its fair share of debate over the past year.
“I would feel safer if I could exercise my Second Amendment right and carry concealed on campus,” said Daniel Lamb, a political science senior. “There’s certain things that you can’t avoid sometimes.”
UAPD has advised that anyone with information on the latest robbery call either 911 or 88-CRIME. The previous armed robbery case took place in the Warren underpass at Speedway Boulevard. Nearly a month later, suspects have still not been identified.
