On Sunday, April 5, two male suspects approached a male as he was walking through the University Extension Center. A second robbery that occurred approximately three hours after the first in the University Towers parking structure on Iowa Avenue was reported to police several days later.
In the first incident, one suspect asked the victim for directions while the other pinned his arms against his body from behind. Brandishing a knife, one suspect asked for his wallet and backpack. After the victim gave them his backpack and iPod, the suspects ran toward the University Village.
One suspect was described as a tall, thin black male in his 20s wearing jeans and a black baseball cap with a black jacket. He was about 6 feet tall and had a goatee. The other suspect was also described as a thin, black male in his 20s, wearing either a black jacket or hoodie.
There were no injuries, and no arrests have been made.
UCPD believes that, due to the high volume of pedestrian traffic in this area, the suspects may have had contact with students, staff or faculty prior to or just after the incident. Assistant Chief of Police John Freese urges anyone with information to contact UCPD at 951-827-5222.
In the second robbery, the victim was approached by two suspects near the elevators. They were joined by two additional suspects shortly thereafter. The suspects, one of them brandishing a knife, demanded the victim’s property, who then dropped his backpack and ran. The victim sustained minor injuries.
The suspects were described as: a black female adult, about 18-20 years old with an average build, wearing jeans and a brown shirt; a thin black male adult, about 18-20 years old with short black hair, black basketball shorts and a red and black jersey; a thin, muscular black male adult, about 18-20 years old with short black hair, a mustache and beard wearing a grey turtleneck and blue jeans; and a muscular black male adult wearing a black mask with holes for eyes wearing jeans and a grey sweatshirt.
The Riverside Police Department is overseeing the investigation of this robbery, as it occurred off campus.
