Police check hall after failed attempt at Wells Fargo Bank
A bank robbery forced Babcock Inn Residence Hall residents to go into lockdown Saturday afternoon after a man threatened to bomb the bank and was suspected to possibly be hiding somewhere in the residence hall.
A man entered Wells Fargo Bank, 1701 E. Speedway Blvd., at about 1 p.m. and attempted to rob the bank with a note demanding money but was unsuccessful, a media release from the Tucson Police Department stated.
Lana Abu Shaheen, a resident assistant at Babcock Inn, said police called the front desk and asked all RAs to go door-to-door and inform residents not to leave their rooms or open their doors for any visitors while police searched the premises.
Since Babcock Inn is located next door, police notified Abu Shaheen that the man could be hiding somewhere in the residence hall.
Abu Shaheen said police informed her that the man who attempted to rob the bank also threatened employees with a bomb, which was another reason residents were instructed to stay inside their rooms.
Residents remained in lockdown for more than an hour while police searched the premises.
Will Hollis, an undeclared freshman, was in his room at the time of the robbery and said both police and an RA told him to not leave.
"I wasn't worried in the least bit; it seemed like they had everything under control," Hollis said.
Hollis said it would be difficult to hide in Babcock Inn because residents keep their rooms closed.
Although an attempted robbery and a bomb threat happened next door, Hollis said he still feels safe and does not think the residence hall needs increased security.
"We live next door to a bank; these things happen," he said.
Hilary Rees, a nursing freshman, was not in her Babcock Inn room when the attempted robbery occurred next door, but she returned later in the afternoon to see the residence hall surrounded with police.
"It was kind of a shock to me that a robbery and bomb threat happened next door," she said. "It shocked me that people can get away with it and that we're not able to prevent those things from happening."
Rees said Babcock Inn needs increased security because they are not located within UA perimeters. Hiding out would be easy at the residence hall, she said.
"We live on a busy street and the fact that it happened 20 feet away was threatening," she said.
Police describe the man who is suspected of the attempted robbery as black, 25 to 30 years old, between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-8, 160 to 165 pounds and wearing a camouflage military uniform, the media release stated.