Crime & Safety

Fourth BU Robbery: Armed Men Attempt to Rob Female Student

BU Community informed of an attempted armed robbery last night, at about 8 p.m. Victim was unharmed.

At about 8:40 p.m. last night, the Boston University Community was informed of an attempted armed robbery at 808 Commonwealth Avenue through the BU Alert system. 

BU Police tweeted that the female student was unharmed, and that the suspects were two black males wearing sweatshirts. Officials advised students to steer clear of the area while investigating the incident, according to BostInno

See BostInno for a full story.

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The Daily Free Press pulled together a Storify page with reactions to the attempted robbery. Student reactions are largely fearful, sarcastic and angry in some cases. 

See the Daily Free Press piece for specific reactions.

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This makes the fourth such crime since Sept. 23, three weeks ago. In the first incident, two teenaged males robbed .  

In the second incident, two days later, three black male  with stolen property toward Pleasant Street and Commonwealth Avenue. The suspects were seen putting their sweatshirts into a backpack. 

, when a recent college graduate was unharmed, after being shown a gun by three teenaged black males who then fled the scene toward Commonwealth Avenue with his cell phone and cash.

 

Following a handful of smartphone thefts in May of this year, the Brookline Police Department issued a press release containing a number of safety tips, including: 

  • Do not wear earbuds, headphones, or listen to music while walking alone.
  • Always walk with a friend or in a group when possible.
  • Be aware of your surroundings at all times and trust your instincts.
  • Walk with confidence on the street and at a good, steady pace. Keep your head up and observe your surroundings.  Don't look down at the ground.
  • If you feel you are being followed, show you are suspicious – Turn to look at the person. This sends a clear message that you will not be taken by surprise.
  • Change directions.  If someone is following you on foot, cross the street and vary your pace. If the person following you is in a car, turn and walk in the opposite direction.
  • If approached, DO NOT RESIST. The best course of action is to hand over money and whatever other belongings are demanded and try to disengage from this confrontational and potentially dangerous situation as soon as possible. Remember, things can always be replaced.
  • Try to remember descriptive information about the robber (height, age, race, etc.) to relay to police when reporting the incident.

Many smartphones include features or have apps which will allow for tracking of stolen phones. the Brookline Police press release does not mention these apps specifically, however an iPhone user with such an app helped police track down and recover her phone earlier in the year. 

 

This is a breaking story, Patch will have more information as it develops.



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