It’s the busiest time of year, Wildcats. With reading day around the corner, campus is anything but quiet. While you’re buried in textbooks and coffee cups, the University of Arizona Police Department has been busy handling everything from flier fires to scooter standoffs. Catch up on the chaos in this spring semester edition of Police Beat.
UA employee hospitalized by person with machete
Around 1:00 p.m. on March 16, South Tucson Police responded to a report of a machete attack involving a University of Arizona employee at The Garden Kitchen, a “seed-to-table” education and resource center used by the university but not owned by it.
The attack occurred at the gate of the building and the employee was transported to the hospital for treatment. UAPD was notified approximately 30 minutes after the incident. The South Tucson Police Department is the primary agency responsible for the location. This notification was issued to UAPD for informational purposes only.
Attempted kidnapping
Around 11:39 p.m. on March 17 near East Fourth Street and Santa Rita Avenue, a male student reported that two men jumped out of a white van and attempted to grab him. The student was able to escape and the van drove off in the opposite direction. Officers searched the area but were unable to locate the suspects or the vehicle.
The student followed up the next day, stating he had been intoxicated during the incident but recalled the suspects were either white or Hispanic and appeared to be in their 30s. Officers reviewed surveillance footage from around the time of the report but did not observe any white vans other than UA SafeRide vehicles.
Forbes Building arson
On March 30 around 8:00 p.m., officers responded to the west side of the Forbes Building on campus after a report of a male who had set a bush on fire.
Upon arrival, officers discovered what was believed to be a Yucca plant near the main entrance engulfed in flames. Officers used fire extinguishers to put out the fire, and the Tucson Fire Department responded to ensure that the plant would not reignite.
Bystanders reported that a slim-built white male wearing a black hoodie and white shoes had lit the plant on fire and ran north. Officers circulated but did not locate the suspect.
Indecent exposure at 7-Eleven
Around 10:17 a.m. on April 2, UAPD officers conducting a special check at Alpha Chi Omega Sorority were flagged down by a female student who reported an indecent exposure incident that had just occurred.
The student said that while walking home, a man exposed himself toward her while urinating in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven. The suspect was described as a light-skinned, thin-built male in his 30s wearing an orange t-shirt. Officers were unable to locate the suspect, and nearby cameras did not capture the incident.
Student on scooter escapes knife-wielding attacker
Around 2:47 p.m. on April 12, officers responded to a report that a knife-wielding individual had attempted to harm a male UA student. The student was riding his scooter through an alleyway next to Zeta Beta Tau fraternity when the suspect extended his arm toward him with a knife. The student reportedly swerved to avoid being cut.
Officers later identified, arrested and booked the suspect into Pima County Jail on charges of aggravated assault.
Student arrested for setting fire to residence hall fliers
Around 12:15 a.m. on April 25, UAPD officers responded to Coronado Residence Hall after a resident assistant reported that a student had set fire to fliers advertising a hall meeting. The RA provided security footage of the incident and identified the resident involved.
Officers made contact with the student in his room, where he admitted to setting the fliers on fire because he thought it was funny. The student was arrested for arson, and a Dean of Students referral was issued.
Non-affiliated woman triggers false fire alarm at Cherry Garage
Around 2:14 p.m. on May 1, officers responded to Cherry Garage after receiving reports of a woman behaving erratically on the top level of the structure. Real Time Coordination Center personnel observed the woman pressing emergency blue light buttons repeatedly and falsely activating the fire alarm.
The alarm triggered evacuations at both Arizona Stadium and Cherry Garage, preventing people from parking or retrieving vehicles for an extended time. Officers located the woman inside the garage after she attempted to flee.
The woman exhibited signs of mental health issues and was determined to be a danger to herself and others. A petition was completed, and she was admitted to a mental health facility. The woman was cited for false reporting, disruption of an educational institution and disorderly conduct and was issued an exclusionary order.
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