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String of robberies hit UA

Three women have been robbed in similar incidents during the past week - making a total of four since school began - while walking near UA residence halls, university police said.

All of the women were walking near campus dormitories, and two were near North Park Avenue between East Speedway Boulevard and East Sixth Street, when the robberies occured.

In each instance, a man driving a white or brown car has pulled up to the woman, reports stated. The man has then approached the victim, demanded her purse and fled in his car.

Two of the incidents occurred Saturday. One robbery occurred at about 3:30 a.m. near the Manzanita-Mohave Residence Hall, 1000 N. Park Ave., by a man in a white car, reports stated.

Another robbery occurred that night at about 9:30 p.m. when a suspect in a brown car took a woman's purse near the Kaibab-Huachuca Residence Hall, 922 E. Fourth St.

The third incident in the past week happened Tuesday night near East Fourth Street and North Highland Avenue.

UAPD Sgt. Michael Smith said the department is currently investigating the cases.

"We are considering that these (two Saturday incidents) are related," Smith said. "Obviously they're similar in the way they both were carried out."

Smith said police have had a difficult time creating a composite sketch of the people involved because racial descriptions have ranged from victim to victim.

While the ethnicities of the robbers have varied, all victims have described the man as being about 5 feet 11 inches tall, with short hair and an athletic-to-slim build.

Smith said the department is still waiting to interview the latest victim so police will be able to create a more precise composite of the robber.

Smith said none of the four victims were hurt.

"The person involved has had a weapon, though to this point he hasn't used it," Smith said.

The robbers seem to target women carrying purses or backpacks in areas near residence halls and all the robberies have occurred late at night, Smith said.

"Obviously it's a crime of opportunity," Smith said.

Smith said police are taking steps to make sure another incident does not occur. The department plans to release information to all the residence halls today.

Laura Pollock, an undeclared freshman, was one of the students robbed Saturday.

Pollock was walking to her dormitory with a friend at about 3:30 a.m. when a car suddenly stopped, she said. The driver jumped out and approached them, she said.

Pollock said when the man demanded their purses she pushed the man away but he struck her in the stomach with something and shoved her to the ground.

"There's no way I could say it was a gun," Pollock said. "Honestly I didn't see it."

Pollock said the incident happened so fast that she couldn't get a good look at the robber's face.

"This guy had his act down," Pollock said. "He knew what he was doing."

Police always stress the use of the ASUA Escort Service and the blue light safety phones if a person feels threatened, he added.

Pollock said she knew she should not have been walking home at such a dangerous hour.

"Usually I walk with a big group of people," Pollock said.

She said the incident has not changed her view about her safety on the UA campus.

"I honestly feel this can happen anywhere and at anytime," she added.