Four more students robbed at gunpoint

Fourteen U. affiliates have been victims of armed robberies in last 2 weeks Students fell victim to four more armed robberies within the last two days, raising the total number of incidents on campus in the last two weeks to 10 and the number of robbery victims to at least 14 in the same period. Yesterday morning, a College senior who asked not to be identified was robbed at gunpoint by three males in front of the Uni-Mart at 40th and Locust streets at 12:45 a.m. In the past two days, three other armed robberies occurred near campus involving people affiliated with the University, according to a crime log maintained by University Police. On Tuesday, one armed robbery occurred at 5:05 p.m. at 40th and Ludlow streets, and another took place at 11:51 p.m. at 34th and Sansom streets. Within an hour of the Uni-Mart robbery, another armed robbery occurred at 12:55 a.m. at 40th and Locust streets. University Police Captain John Richardson was not available for comment regarding the incidents last night. At least 14 people have been victims of armed robberies near campus since September 6. In the Uni-Mart incident, the victim was walking to Smokey Joe's Tavern when three males called to him. One of the perpetrators showed the student a gun covered by his sleeve. "I thought it was his pinky finger pointing at me to come over here," the student said. The student said he stood with his back against the Uni-Mart window to increase the chances other people or police officers would see he was being robbed. But no police or pedestrians were in the area at the time, the student said. "If they just wanted to jump me or something, [the threat] wouldn't have bothered me so much, but I saw the gun," he said. The student proceeded to give the gunman his wallet, which contained only $4. He explained that ever since he began working in West Philadelphia last summer, he carries a second wallet at night containing very little cash -- just in case he gets robbed. "I saw the gun and thought, 'Make it as much of a control situation as possible'," he said. "I wanted to give him my wallet because I wanted [his finger]prints." The student said he asked the man with the gun to give him back his driver's license, which the man did. After the men took the student's money, the three males walked west on Locust Street toward 41st Street, the victim explained. The perpetrators all wore baggy jeans and black, hooded jackets, the student said. He added that two of the suspects were roughly 6'1" and of medium build, while the third male was approximately 5'6" with medium build. The student said he was happy to have escaped the robbery unharmed. "It didn't bother me that much because I knew what I had on me and I knew that my chances of being harmed were very slim," the student said. However, the student said his feelings of good luck turned to anger when he found a blue light phone outside of Smokey Joe's and attempted to contact University Police. The phone, he said, was broken. "I got nothing and I tried the phone three times," the student said. "That infuriated me. It was a disaster." The student eventually found police officers sitting in a van parked nearby. He said he and the officers searched unsuccessfully for the perpetrators. He said the gun he saw had an octagonal-shaped barrel, which police said means it was likely a semi-automatic weapon. The student said he has been a victim of crimes in the past: his bike was stolen from a rack in front of Bennett Hall two years ago and police caught a man breaking into his car when it was parked in a University lot last year.