Attempted robbery near 40th and Ludlow prompts UPenn Alert

An attempted purse-snatching outside of the Pizza Hut on 40th and Ludlow streets spurred a UPennAlert Wednesday night.

Around 9:50 p.m., an unaffiliated woman was approached by three males described as having dark skin, each in their early 20s and wearing blue jeans. They attempted to steal her purse, but after she screamed, they fled northbound on 40th Street toward Market Street, Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said.

The three suspects are still at large.

After sending out an initial UPennAlert at 9:54 p.m., the Division of Public Safety sent an all-clear message about 12 minutes later.

None of the suspects had a weapon, Rush said. Penn Police first became aware of the attempted robbery after the victim alerted an AlliedBarton security guard.

“These are one-off situations,” she said, commenting on this and similar robberies. “Crime has been definitely down, and we’ve been working to keep it that way.”

This article was last updated at 10:41 p.m. Check back for updates.

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