Los Angeles police are advising people not to walk alone at
night after receiving several reports of armed robberies around the
UCLA campus, the most recent of which took place on Aug. 13.
Suspects have been approaching victims on the street and
demanding
money and property, according to an LAPD press release. Most of
the
incidents occurred between 9 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.
The assailants are believed to have been armed with a
semiautomatic
handgun, according to the release.
Twelve such crimes have occurred in the area since May. Nine of
the
victims, including men and women, have been UCLA students.
University police are investigating three of the robberies,
while LAPD
is looking into the remaining incidents and the larger
trend.
On July 24, on Weyburn Avenue south of Strathmore Drive, a man
stole
two purses at gunpoint from two 22-year-old women. Both were
UCLA
students.
On July 16, at Veteran and Kinross avenues, two men stole money
from a
21-year-old man’s wallet.
On June 26, on the southwest corner of Strathmore Drive and
Landfair
Avenue, a man robbed a 23-year-old woman of her purse at
gunpoint.
According to a UCPD press release, UCPD and LAPD are in
communication
about these three incidents, and investigations are ongoing.
UCPD recommends that students use the campus escort services in
order
to protect themselves from assault or robbery, which can be
reached by
calling (310) 794-WALK. UCPD also advises students to add the
UCPD
dispatch line, (310) 825-1492, to their cell phones and report
any
suspicious persons to UCPD immediately.
With reports from Derek Lipkin, Bruin senior staff.