Spring Break
Robbery No. 2 hits SJSU before break
Dina Baslan
Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: News
|
The two unidentified women were sitting on the Seventh Street Plaza benches at the time of the incidents.
One of the girls turned over her belongings, and the unarmed suspect fled toward San Fernando Street, according to a robbery alert report sent by UPD on March 20.
The suspect was described by UPD as a Hispanic man in his 20s with a shaved head, about 5-feet-9-inches tall and weighing about 200 lbs.
It was the second robbery in a five-day period, after an armed robbery took place in front of Campus Village at around 3 a.m. on March 14.
"The descriptions were not at all similar," said UPD public information officer Sgt. John Laws about the two different burglars. "So this is not the same person doing multiple robberies.
"We were actively investigating and looking into every avenue that we have," he said. "But at this time, I don't think that there is any additional information that we are able to release that would potentially jeopardize some avenue of investigation."
Laws said no other robberies were reported since then.
"Don't be out alone at night - walk in a group," he said. "If you are concerned about your safety, go ahead and use the blue light phones or the campus phones and call for a university police escort."
Crystal Silva, a senior psychology major at SJSU, said she carries pepper spray with her at all times. She regularly visits her friends living at Campus Village, and said she leaves late most of the time.
"(Blue light phones) make me feel safe," Silva, 22, said. "And I hold onto my cell phone when I leave."
She said she thinks it is scarier for her as a woman walking on campus alone after midnight.
But Laws said he thinks men should be careful as well.
"Just because you're a man," he said "doesn't mean you are immune to being a victim of crime."
Bryan Rojas, a junior psychology major, lives three blocks away from campus.
"I feel that SJSU itself is actually pretty safe compared to a lot of other places," Rojas, 21, said. "I walk through campus at two, three in the morning, and I feel fine."
He said the past two robberies do not cause him to worry.
"You can't live with fear," he said. "It happens."
Becky Homan, a freshman forensic science and chemistry major, does not walk on campus alone after midnight.
"Unless I'm with people," Homan, 18, said. "But usually not."
She did say that she carries pepper spray with her ever since she came to SJSU.
The robberies make Josh Harrison, a freshman international business major, question the safety of the school and the city, he said.
"I never thought (walking on campus at night) was a huge deal really," Harrison, 19, said. "If someone is carrying a gun around, it is a big deal."
Be the first to comment on this story