Student robbed at knifepoint in own house

The female student was robbed Friday night in the front hallway of her house on the 4000 block of Baltimore Ave. A female University student was robbed at knifepoint in the front hallway of her Baltimore Avenue residence Friday night, according to University Police. The student reported that an unidentified man wielding a six-inch knife followed her through the front door of her apartment on the 4000 block of Baltimore at about 9:40 p.m. Friday night. The suspect allegedly drew the knife and demanded that the student quietly hand over her purse, which contained $60 in cash, a cellular phone, several credit cards, a PennCard and other personal items. He then fled quickly on foot in an unknown direction. The student was not physically injured in the robbery. According to the University Police incident report, the suspect was described as a clean-shaven black male, between the ages of 35 and 40, 5'8" to 5'10", 160 pounds, with a medium build and short black hair. At the time of the hold-up, he was wearing a dark shirt and blue jeans. The student was walking from the 4100 block of Baltimore, where she had parked her car moments before. Police said the suspect likely followed the victim to her door. The student was carrying some type of package when she entered the residence and as she was putting it down to shut the door, the suspect entered the house. Police transported the victim to the Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detectives Bureau at 55th and Pine streets for questioning. Friday's incident is the second knifepoint robbery on or near campus in the past week. Last Sunday, a female employee of Sansom Common was held-up outside the Inn at Penn. Though the incident was not caught on tape, University Police believe the suspect may have passed by one of its new closed-circuit television cameras on the northwest corner of 36th and Walnut streets. University Police are also investigating two armed robberies in September, both of which were in close proximity to campus. In the first incident, on September 12, a female University student was robbed at gunpoint just steps from Locust Walk, between Van Pelt Library and the Castle. And just days before that, five University students were held up with what was believed to be a semi-automatic weapon. None of the victims were hurt in the robberies.

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