Warning Issued On Auraria Campus After Student Robbed On Light Rail
DENVER (CBS4) - Authorities are warning Auraria students to be careful following a crime on their campus.
Auraria Campus police sent out a notice Sunday to every teacher, student and employee of the campus warning them of a danger they say is rare, but real.
Transporting thousands each day, the Regional Transportation District light rail is a popular way for commuter college students to get to Auraria Campus, but early Sunday morning The Ride got rough.
"The person was sitting there, a person grabbed the backpack," Technician Ron Hackett with Denver police said.
Hackett said when the doors opened a robber snatched someone's backpack right out of their hands and ran.
"It just makes me feel like I should be carrying a knife or mace. I mean, I'm actually carrying mace right now," Community College of Denver student Jonathan Silverman said. "With the mace you would rather have it and not need it. If that student had it last night they might have been able to stop the attack."
An RTD spokesperson says surveillance video will be turned into police for investigation.
Officers are asking that students, teachers and staff be aware of their surroundings.
"It's really important that they stay diligent and that they make sure that they know the people that are around them," Cmdr. Jason Mollendor with the Auraria Campus Police Department said. "If they feel that something's not right, it's possible it's not. So trust your instincts."
"If you're outside of the classroom or if you're outside of the library, don't pull out your laptop, especially late at night," Hackett said. "Don't pull out your iPad. Just keep those things concealed so that people don't know what's in your backpack."
According to the report, the victim in Sunday morning's robbery tried to chase down the suspect but was unable to catch him. He's described as a white male, 6-feet tall, wearing a grey shirt, blue jeans and a ball cap.
Anyone with information is urged to call Auraria Campus police.
