By Mallory Bowman
Another University of Louisville student has been the victim of armed robbery.
Unlike the two incidents that recently occurred off-campus, the latest robbery took place on U of L’s campus, in the Fourth Street parking lot located behind Kurz Hall.
According to a Department of Public Safety report, the incident happened on Feb. 22 at 8:30 p.m., when a dark blue pick-up truck approached 28-year-old U of L student Richard Smith.
Smith was contacted by The Cardinal, but wished not to comment.
The report stated that there were two white males in the vehicle, both 5’7” to 5’9” tall and in their early twenties. The driver was armed with a handgun.
The report stated the driver asked Smith where Bettie Johnson Hall was located and when Smith turned to give the driver directions, the man was pointing a chrome-colored handgun at him. Smith was then instructed to empty his pockets. He gave the perpetrator approximately $30. The report stated the perpetrator then pulled out of the lot and headed South on Fourth Street.
U of L Department of Public Safety Maj. Kenny Brown said the investigation is currently under way, and that U of L police are working with Louisville Metro Police to address this and other recent robberies.
“Right now we’re looking at the recordings from the cameras that survey the Fourth Street lot,” Brown said. “However, we have not been able to identify the incident on the tape as of yet. There are certain areas in the lots that the cameras don’t reach, and this incident happened in the back of the lot.”
Brown said a security guard for the lot was on duty that night; however, according to DPS records, at the time the incident occurred the guard was conducting a nightly patrol on foot and was unaware that the incident took place.
Brown said this is the first armed robbery that has been documented on U of L’s campus this year. According to university records, one took place last year.
Currently, DPS has stepped up security on the outer limits of campus, which Brown said are more susceptible to criminal activity.
“What we’ve done is we have increased our presence on the outer limits of campus, especially in the early morning hours,” he said. “We have officers patrolling the areas of concern from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m.”
This and two other robberies, which occurred on the morning of Feb. 12 in which U of L students were victimized, are all still being investigated.
Brown said there is currently no reason to believe that the two Feb. 12 robberies and the Feb. 22 incident are connected.
“The suspects in the Feb. 22 incident were described as white, while the suspects in the Feb. 12 incident were described as black,” Brown said. “We have no reason to think they are connected. This could change, but currently, we have two different sets of suspects.”
Brown said that in order for students to protect themselves, they should walk in pairs, especially after dark, or call an escort when walking to the car.
Brown said that since the incident there have not been any other reports of suspicious activity around campus.
To report criminal activity contact DPS at 852-6911.
