Timely Warning Notification of a Criminal Incident
04/04/09
Strong Armed Robbery - Seattle Campus
This message to members of the University community is being sent in the interest of public safety and in compliance with federal law requiring timely warning notification of crimes committed on or near campus.
At midnight on April 4, 2009, a female UW student was walking to her apartment in the 4500 block of 16th Ave N.E. The victim observed three high school age females near the alley entrance to her building. As the victim approached the entrance, one of the female suspects asked to use her phone. Another asked for bus fare. As the victim pulled out her wallet the third also asked for bus fare. One of the suspects began to pull on the victim's purse. The victim told the suspect to let go. The suspects were able to pull the victim's purse away and then fled eastbound on N.E. 45th Street. The victim in this incident was uninjured.
A short time later, a similar strong armed robbery was reported several blocks away at Cowen Place N.E and N.E. Ravenna Blvd. The suspects--whose descriptions were similar to the other incident --were unable to wrestle anything away from this victim, but the victim did sustain a head laceration.
These incidents are being investigated by the Seattle Police Department under incident number 2009-112913 and 2009-112936. If you have any additional information about these crimes, please call the Seattle Police at 206-625-5011.
Prevention tips for incidents such as this:
* Be aware of your environment and alert for possible danger.
* Remove yourself from potentially dangerous situations as soon as possible.
* Walk with a group.
* Call 911 to report suspicious activity or persons to the police.
* Call Husky NightWalk: 206-685-WALK (9255) for a security guard escort to various locations on campus and within a one-mile radius off campus. The hours of operation for these uniformed guards are 6:00pm-2:00am, 7 days week.
Contact the University of Washington Police Crime Prevention Unit at 206-543-9338 for additional crime prevention information.
