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(11/09/90 10:00am)
One of two men arrested Monday in the attempted robbery of two plainclothes University Police officers is back on the streets. Melvin Gore, 20, of the 2400 block of N. 26th Street, was arraigned yesterday on charges of armed robbery, criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault and simple assault. He was freed on bail just after his arraignment. University Police said although Gore's bail was set at $100,000, he was able to go free without putting up any money. Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said Gore was released under a system known as "sign your own bail," or "S.O.B." to police. Under a conventional bail system, defendants must either turn over a specified amount of cash to the court or post a bond for that amount. If the defendant does not appear in court for hearings or trials, he or she loses this money. But under this system, Gore was allowed to simply "sign out" of jail, Canada said. University Police Detective Supervisor Michael Carroll said if Gore does not appear in court, he will "owe" the city the $100,000. Gore, who allegedly was to drive the get-away car in the robbery, is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing Tuesday. "We're very frustrated by this but it happens," Canada said. Carroll said he does not know why the court allowed Gore to go free. "I have no idea," he said. "That's the court system. That's not up to me." Gore and another city resident, Omar Burnett, 19, of the 800 block of N. 15th Street, were arrested late Monday after a group of four men tried to rob two plainclothes University Police officers with what appeared to be a shotgun. The gun turned out to be fake. Canada said one of the officers shot Burnett in the hand after the man threatened to kill him. Burnett and Gore are facing the same charges. In a separate case, Canada said the man police believe is responsible for a string of stabbings in the University area is still in custody. Wayne Christian, 30, of West Philadelphia, was arraigned yesterday and is being held on $75,000 bail -- $25,000 for each of the stabbings he is charged with. "We're glad for that," Canada said. Christian is also suspected in three other stabbings near the University. A bail clerk at the city's main police station said yesterday that the "sign your own bail" system is commonly used in Philadelphia. The option is open only to defendants whom the bail commissioner designates as eligible, the clerk said. Canada said police do not know why Gore was able to gain his freedom so easily. Canada and Carroll speculated that the court cut down on restrictions against him since he did not participate in the actual robbery.
(11/07/90 10:00am)
In the attempted robbery of University Police late Monday, a plainclothes officer shot one man in the hand as three other robbers held his partner at bay with what looked like a double-barreled shotgun. The attempted robbery, which occurred on the 4100 block of Locust Street at approximately 11:30 p.m., marked the first time in at least 10 years that a University Police officer has fired a gun at a suspect. The wounded man and a fifth suspect who was to drive the get-away vehicle are in jail. The three other suspects remain at large, and police said they are investigating. The two suspects have been charged with armed robbery. After the assailants fled, police realized the men did not have a shotgun but instead threatened the officers with a painted axe handle with two holes drilled in one end to simulate a gun. Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said yesterday that the officer fired his revolver at one of the suspects after the man threatened to kill him. The shot struck the man on the wrist and he and the other assailants fled, Canada said. Canada said the officer made the right decision in firing since there was no way to realize the shotgun was fake and they thought their lives were in danger. Philadelphia Police found the wounded man, Omar Burnett, 19, of the 800 block of N. 15th Street, shortly after when they found him resting outside of a building at 41st and Walnut streets. Police did not know he was involved in the robbery. University Police arrested one suspect, Melvin Gore, 20, of the 2400 block of N. 26th Street, in a car at the scene. Canada said the assailants apparently did not realize they were attempting to rob police officers. Neither of the officers were hurt, she said. Police would not release the names of the officers. Canada said both were veteran officers who do not want their identities publicized. Canada said the two officers were on a plainclothes detail walking east on the 4100 block of Locust street at about 11:30 p.m. when they saw a car with North Carolina license plates pull up to the curb 20 yards ahead of them. Four men came out of the car and approached the officers while a fifth remained behind in the car. When the suspects had closed to within about 10 yards, Canada said, one pulled the apparent shotgun out from under his coat and said, "This is a robbery. Give us your fucking money or I'll shoot you." As the suspects continued to approach, one of the officers stepped forward a few feet, drawing the gunman's attention. While the suspects were watching the first officer, the other officer drew his revolver and kept it hidden at his side, Canada said. Police said Burnett and another suspect came up to the officer who had drawn his gun and started to push him face first against a wall. One of the men told him to give up his money or he would shoot, Canada said. Burnett, displaying a bulge in his pocket that appeared to be a gun, then told the officer that "I might just shoot you anyway," Canada said. When Burnett started to bring his hand up over the officer's head, Canada said, the officer fired at him once. Four of the suspects fled immediately on foot. Canada and Police Director John Logan praised the officers for their work. "I think their reaction to it was remarkable," Logan said. "I have nothing but praise for the way they handled this incident." Logan said that had the gun been real, the officers could have been seriously hurt. "A shotgun at close quarters -- it's devastating," he said. Logan said he spoke to many of the officers about the incident at afternoon roll call and planned to do the same last night. Canada said both officers will return to duty immediately. "They're both psychologically sound," she said. "There are no signs of apprehension on either of the officers' part." Canada said the two officers were assigned to a plainclothes detail as a supplement to the department's "T-beat," in which they walk the 3900 block of Walnut Street from Ludlow to Locust streets. On October 1, she said, police extended the beat to include Chestnut and Spruce streets and the 4000 block between Walnut and Spruce. Plainclothes officers were assigned to supplement uniformed officers on that beat. "They're inconspicuous," she said. "Last night is a typical example. They stopped two patrol officers, attempting to rob them not knowing they were police officers." Since expanding the beats, officers have arrested eight suspects, including two for robberies, in the new area. Canada did not know how many of these were arrested directly by plainclothes officers.
(11/07/90 10:00am)
University Police yesterday doubled nighttime patrols in an effort to stop a wave of violent crime in the University area. Officers on two of the department's three shifts yesterday started a schedule of 12-hour days, six days a week. Officers on those shifts will work four more hours per day and an additional day each week, providing twice the usual manpower for patrols in the evening and early morning hours. The increased coverage is a temporary measure. Police said they will resume the normal schedule when crime troubles subside. University Police officials worked throughout the day yesterday to institute the changes as they tried to rebound from the most violent night of crime this semester. A University Police officer was forced to shoot a would-be robber in the hand Monday night as four men attempted to rob him and his partner with what appeared to be a shotgun. This was the first time in at least 10 years that a University Police officer fired his gun at a suspect. And early yesterday morning, two University students were stabbed in the latest of a series of surprise stabbings in the area. Philadelphia Police arrested a man and charged him with those stabbings yesterday. The same man is suspected of three other stabbings in the last 10 days. These incidents are just the latest examples in what many believe to be a sharp rise in violent crime this semester. Police increased off-campus foot patrols earlier this semester to try to stop a rash of armed robberies in the area. Last week, several University departments agreed to increase security services after a student was seriously injured in an October 19 robbery at 41st and Locust streets. But University Police Director John Logan said these measures were not enough. "Despite these efforts, the crimes continue so we had to go to another plan -- especially after what happened last night," Logan said. "We're going on the offensive," said College Junior Jeffrey Jacobson, co-chairperson of the University Council Safety and Security Committee. "It's now getting so bad that they're mugging police officers so we're going on the offensive until people are less afraid." Jacobson said Logan and Police Captain John Richardson discussed the possibility of increasing officers' hours and limiting their days off at committee meetings over the past few weeks. He said Senior Vice President Marna Whittington approved the changes if police officials decided they were needed. Richardson said he was encouraged that there were no violent crimes around campus all weekend and he was starting to believe police had begun to control the problem. But he said the latest incidents destroyed that feeling. University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said yesterday that police often feel like the efforts they are making do not make much of a difference. She said the University's crime problem now mirrors the problems other areas face with drugs -- officers continue to arrest suspects but as soon as they clear one group of criminals away, another steps in to fill the void. "Once a corner is cleared [of criminals] for an hour, they're replaced with others," she said. "We're aware of that and we're going to be standing on the corner." She said by providing twice the number of officers at night, police visibility will increase and more officers will be available to break up other crimes. Officers working evening shifts will be held over into the night and those working nighttime shifts will come in early. Police would not release the exact hours of increased patrols. The increased shifts will create the most intense police coverage in the department's history. Over the past year, the department has increased from 44 officers to 75. Now, the department is doubling this increased coverage. In addition, Philadelphia Police have agreed to send an officer for an hour each day to patrol with University officers. The new program with city police is designed to increase cooperation and communication between the two departments, and to give city police an idea of the day-to-day problems officers here face. Biochemistry Professor Adelaide Delluva, the other co-chairperson of the Safety and Security Committee, said she believes the crime problem is growing worse despite the best efforts of University officials. "It's like the finger in the dike," Delluva said. "If you put your finger in one leak another springs up." Delluva said further changes in security are needed to "ensure a better existence for everyone because it certainly isn't a very good existence right now." She said University Police appear to be making a real effort to solve the problem. Canada said the change could be difficult for officers, who will lose a day off each week and work an extra half-day every day, but they are up to the challenge. "They can handle it as long as it's necessary," Canada said. "They're police officers. They're committed to enforcing the law. We believe this is a temporary problem but we're going to stick with it until we solve it." Officers will increase their usual 40-hour work weeks with 32 hours of overtime. It is unclear how much money the extra hours will cost the University. Canada said, however, that for the University, safety, not money, is the overriding concern.
(11/02/90 10:00am)
Two West Philadelphia residents were victims of violent crimes near the University Wednesday. An unidentified local man was stabbed late Wednesday night during a mugging at 43rd and Sansom streets, a witness said. Another resident was robbed of clothing and jewelry at gunpoint Wednesday night on 41st and Spruce streets, according to police. In a third incident, University and Philadelphia police arrested a local man at 43rd and Walnut streets and confiscated a loaded gun from him, police said. A University student living near 43rd and Sansom streets said he witnessed the Wednesday night mugging near his apartment and said the victim was stabbed in the shoulder. College of General Studies senior Todd Schiff said he was watching television in his apartment at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday when he heard someone screaming "hysterically" in the street. Schiff said he looked out his window and saw a man lying face down in the street and another man standing over him. "He was screaming, 'Give me your money, give me your money,'" Schiff said. Schiff said the assailant was a man wearing a jogging suit. The victim, he said, was a white man between 25 and 35 years old. Philadelphia Police investigating the incident could not be reached for comment and the victim's identity was unavailable. "The mugger sounded real nuts," Schiff said. "He was insane. I thought he was just going to kill him right there." Schiff said he yelled out the window that he was calling the police, and then dialed for city police. He said he then grabbed a bottle and ran out into the street to help. When he got there, the assailant was gone. "The guy [the victim] had dragged himself to the side of the street," he said. "He was kind of bent over a car. I said, 'Are you okay?' and he said 'I've been cut. I've been cut. I've been stabbed.' " He said the man received a single stab wound in his left shoulder. He said the blade probably went completely through his shoulder since the man was bleeding both in front and in back. Police and paramedics arrived within moments. Schiff said he believes the incident resembles a stabbing early Sunday morning of a 1990 University graduate near 41st and Chesnut streets. In both cases, the victims appeared to have been stabbed without warning. Only after stabbing the victims, apparently, did the assailants ask for money. Further details were unavailable from Philadelphia Police. University Police have made no arrests in the armed robbery of an 18-year-old Boccie Pizzeria employee at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said the employee approached officers on the 4000 block of Locust Street and told police he had been robbed minutes before. He said two men, one of whom carried a silver revolver, robbed him of a $250 leather jacket and a gold chain. He told police he followed the men and last saw them heading toward campus but lost track of them. Police could not locate them. Police did catch a West Philadelphia resident wanted in other crimes by city police. Two University Police officers on 43rd and Walnut heard a report over the radio of two males with a gun near 44th and Sansom streets. The officers spotted two possible suspects, apprehended them and found one had a loaded 38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver. The suspect, Wiliam Gordon, 21, of the 200 block of S. 48th Street, was arrested and transfered to Philadelphia Police.
(11/02/90 10:00am)
The fair will feature talks by new Police Commissioner John Kuprevich, University Police Director John Logan, Captain John Richardson, President Sheldon Hackney, Senior Vice President Marna Whittington and other University officials. The speeches will begin at noon. Both University and Philadelphia Police officers will be on hand to answer questions and distribute literature outlining programs their departments offer. University Police Spokesperson Sylvia Canada said the department has put on a fair the last three years so faculty, staff and students can meet officers and learn about the department. She said this year's fair comes at a good time, since Kuprevich is just joining the department and some recent crimes have made security a serious concern for students. Canada said students are more receptive to listening to advice from police when they feel the University is in a "crisis situation." Kuprevich, who is still splitting his time between the University and Brown University, met several local and University security officials yesterday at the department's open house. The department opened its station to the public in the late afternoon and offered to show students and faculty its facilities and procedures. Philadelphia Police 18th District officials were also on hand to meet the public and Kuprevich. Kuprevich will be the main speaker at the fair. The fair will also include a raffle with three prizes: a $50 gift certificate for dinner for two at the Penn Tower Hotel, a $25 gift certificate to the Bookstore and a $25 gift certificate for the Houston Hall Mall. -- Patrick O'Donnell
(10/31/90 10:00am)
The two men accused of running over a University student October 19 will likely remain in jail until mid-November when their case will be heard for the first time. The men were scheduled for a preliminary hearing in municipal court at 18th District Police headquarters yesterday morning, but Judge Linwood Blount postponed the case because one of the men did not have a lawyer. Assistant District Attorney Nancy Beam Winter said the city appointed only one public defender for the men but they each need separate lawyers. She said both men should have their own lawyers for the rescheduled hearing on November 14. Christopher Turner, 28, of Baltimore, Maryland, and Allan Waters, 23, of the 1300 block of S. Ruby Street, remain in custody in a Philadelphia Police detention center. University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said Turner is being held on $550,000 bail and Waters on $150,000 bail. They are facing charges of aggravated assault, robbery and conspiracy stemming from the robbery of College junior Roberta Koeppel. Witnesses have told police that the men grabbed the student's book bag as she stepped out of a car on the 4000 block of Locust Street. Koeppel was dragged 20 to 30 feet before being run over. Koeppel was listed in stable condition yesterday at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. A preliminary hearing is the rough equivalent of indictment proceedings. The state must introduce only basic evidence so the court can decide if charges are reasonable. The actual trial will not take place for at least a few months after the hearing if the charges stand, Winter said. Canada said the amount of bail reflects the seriousness of the crime. "They're not coming out," Canada said. "They're not going anywhere." Canada said robbery and aggravated assault carry sentences of 10 to 20 years in prison. Although a judge could choose several ways of imposing sentences, Canada said it is likely the men will spend significant time in jail if convicted. "We've been successful in the past getting some pretty tough sentences against people who commit crimes against people in our community," she said. Working in the police's favor will be the manner in which the men were caught. Plainclothes police officers saw the van drive away from the scene and other officers caught them before they escaped. Because of this, the police do not expect to have trouble proving these men committed the crime. Both University and Philadelphia Police were on hand in court yesterday to testify. Winter said she was prepared to go on with the hearing if the defendants had lawyers.
(10/30/90 10:00am)
The total number of on-campus crimes reported to University Police last year rose by more than 100 incidents over 1988, reversing the previous year's decline in reports. But University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada emphasized yesterday that the bulk of the increase was in theft of unattended valuables, which rose from 1203 to 1313 incidents, pushing the overall total to 1721. Canada also noted that the categories with the highest number of reports -- theft, burglary, vandalism and car theft -- were not crimes against people. The statistics were part of a University study published earlier this month which lists all campus crimes reported to University Police over the last three years. Senior Vice President Marna Whittington said last night that although the rise in non-violent crimes is of concern to the University, crimes against people are the administration's primary concern. Whittington said the report is published and released to the University community both because it is mandated by state law and because "we're trying really hard to let people know what's going on." According to the report, which is published annually, over 62 percent of last year's 1721 reported crimes were thefts. The report also states that there were 185 vandalism incidents, 125 burglaries and 36 car thefts in 1989. Only four aggravated assaults and no murders, rapes, attempted rapes or arsons were reported to the department. An aide to State Senator Chaka Fattah, whose district includes the University, said she did not know what schools must do to comply with the law's requirement of informing students and employees of the statistics. According to a report released by the state this summer, the University tallied the second highest number of crimes on any Pennsylvania college campus, ranking below only Pennsylvania State University. The University's study includes reports made only to University Police and does not include incidents reported only to the Philadelphia Police.
(10/29/90 10:00am)
Ray Ramos wants to buy a gun. Over the last 18 months, the Wharton senior's off-campus house has been burglarized three times. The last time, one of his female housemates was stuck in the house alone with the robber. "It's scary when you think you might have to confront a burglar sometime in your apartment," he said. "I wouldn't want to walk out of my room and find somebody there and be at their mercy." "It's pushed me to the point that I feel in order to feel safe at home I need a gun in case something happens. I hate thinking that that's what it has to come down to but that's how I feel." One of Ramos' housemates, College senior Adam Pines, said he has felt West Philadelphia's crime problem in many other ways. One of his friends was robbed at gunpoint at 41st and Pine streets. Another of his friends, upset that his apartment was robbed, just bought a $700 Beretta handgun. "It's pretty immediate," he said. "I think it's gotten a whole lot worse in the last couple of years, especially in the last year." ' Ramos and Pines are part of a growing number of students who no longer feel safe going about their daily life. Dozens of students are victims of crime each year. Countless others have adjusted their lives to protect themselves. And several seniors said this week they feel crime is as much, if not more, of a threat than it was during their violent freshman year. They said several highly-publicized incidents three years ago -- including a near-fatal stabbing of a student and the murder of a local youth outside of the McDonald's Restaurant at 40th and Walnut streets -- shocked them into changing their habits. After a two-year lull, many students said they think the University has been hit with more violent crime than ever this fall. This semester, no fewer than 15 armed or strongarm robberies have occurred. And a robbery 10 days ago in which a student was seriously injured has brought crime to the forefront of discussion. "This has gotten everybody talking," said College junior Jeffery Jacobson, a resident advisor in the Quadrangle and the co-chairperson of University Council's Safety and Security Committee. "I think this case has really sobered some people up. I think it's really a shame that it took this kind of case to make that happen." Engineering senior Kathy Magliochetti said the concern about crime she developed as a freshman is re-awkening. "Those [incidents] were kind of eye-opening for freshmen," she said. "Now it's back to a height where it's very scary to go out." · According to University Police statistics -- which do not include all crime involving students -- on-campus and off-campus crime has remained constant over the last three years. But some students say they perceive that the crimes have become more violent. Jacobson said it seems students are more likely to be hurt in crimes now than a few years ago. "There seem to be more reports of injuries than there were," he said. "The criminals have gotten more brazen." Pines said crimes no longer follow a predictable pattern. Pointing to the break-in at his house, he said location or time of day no longer seem to have any bearing on how crimes occur. "They've lost their shame," he said. "That they'd break into an apartment while people are home is pretty amazing to me." And Ramos, who said he is from a "bad neighborhood" in East Los Angeles, said he did not expect West Philadelphia to have the same crime problems as Los Angeles. Instead he found that the problem was worse. Other students said they were not prepared for the crime problems they faced upon arriving on campus. Only those students who come from urban areas or Philadelphia suburbs said they knew what they were getting into. While most students did not explicitly criticize University officials' response to crime, they said current measures are not sufficient. · Students differ in how they deal with the crime threat. A small handful dismiss the problem and do not let it affect their lives. Most students seem to adopt basic common sense principles, like not walking alone at night, but do not let it become a constant worry. Some, like Ramos, consider more drastic measures. Freshmen Paul Gait and Steven Marks fall into the first category. "I don't think it [the crime problem] is bad at all," said Marks, who is in the College. "Sometimes it's blown out of proportion. I'm pretty safe." "It's pretty overrated," Gait added. "I don't think it's bad unless you do something pretty stupid." But Gait and Marks are exceptions. Most freshmen, as well as upperclass students, say crime is a major threat. College freshman Marie Levine said the October 19 robbery, in which two men in a van grabbed the student's bag, dragged her 30 feet and ran over her, was a shock and has made her concerned she might become a victim. "I've never thought in that manner before but you have to," she said. College senior Virginia Young is living off-campus this year for the first time, about a block away from the site of the incident. Until recent weeks, she said, crime was not a major concern. Now it is. "In the future I imagine I'll be a lot more careful about walking home at night, even at eight or nine o'clock," she said. Young said in light of recent crimes, she has decided to buy mace. College freshman Holly Strutt keeps mace in her backpack. She said she was embarassed when her father suggested carrying it, but after being on campus for two months is grateful for the protection. And Friday two students, after perceiving an increased student concern about crime, sold a new mace-like weapon called CAPSTUN on Locust Walk. Wharton juniors Brian Butler and Marek Gootman sold about 25 to 30 of the two-ounce, chemical spray weapons as part of the Wharton Entrepeneurial Club. Butler said he read about it in a magazine and ordered one for himself to protect himself. When he read more about it, he decided to sell them on campus. He said several sororities have expressed interest in making large purchases. "There's definitely a need for some kind of deterrent," he said. "It's something to make you feel a little safer when you walk to WaWa." University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said police do not recommend buying weapons. She said students should just report crimes or suspicious activity and let police handle it. · Students say they see a big difference in crime once they cross 40th Street. "It doesn't bother me in any way to walk on campus," said Engineering junior Kaan Erenler. "But, past 40th Street, forget it." The addition of 31 new police officers over the past year, Canada said, has made the area within campus borders relatively safe. Jacobson agreed. "So long as you're within the radius of 34th Street to 40th Street, Walnut to Spruce, the safety is far better than it was," he said. "I look over my shoulder, but I don't have any trepidations about making the trip." And students living in the dormitories said they have few, if any, concerns about their safety inside the buildings. In 1985, University officials dramatically increased residential security after the murder of a graduate student during Thanksgiving break and the report of a rape in the Quadrangle. Some students say they hesitate to move off campus -- and their parents discourage them to -- because of concerns over crime. · Jacobson and University Police officials say students can significantly reduce crime risk. Jacobson said students are much less likely to be victims if they walk in groups, cut down on walking at night and do not antagonize others. He also said students should not hesitate to use services like PennBus or Escort Service. A few years ago, many male students said they felt uncomfortable or embarassed to use the service. Now, several male students said they use the service regularly. "Worrying about crime is not a macho thing," Jacobson said. "If someone puts a gun in your face it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman. That person has control over whether you live or die. Walking through campus is not a test of masculinity -- it's a test of intelligence." Student use of University ride services has grown "drastically," according to Steve Carey, assistant director of transportation and parking. Carey said Escort Service serves nearly as many riders in a single month as it used to serve in a year. In the 1985-86 school year, Escort Service provided 13,350 rides. This figure jumped to 23,870 in 1986-87; to 24,722 in 87-88; to 41,244 the next year; and to 78,466 in '89-90. The service has provided almost 9000 escorts this month alone. Ridership of PennBus, which has routes in West Philadelphia and to Center City, has also increased, rising from 37,460 rides in 1987-88 to 69,188 in 1989-90. Carey said Escort has succeeded in decreasing the time students wait for the service, and tried to meet growing demand by adding a new van this year. In 1985-86, he said, about five percent of students had to wait over 30 minutes for a ride. This figure has now dropped under two percent, he said. Still, some students said they do not call Escort because they do not want to wait. Several students say they only use the service in extreme situations -- like when they are alone off-campus. Canada said students can take an active role in preventing crimes by immediately reporting suspicious activity to police. She said she believes students are reporting crime more often and more quickly than they used to, indicating more genuine concern for safety throughout the community. "When you have people actively coming into the department and reporting things, that's a good gauge," she said. "We have students coming in, pointing out suspects and going to court."
(10/26/90 9:00am)
Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape this week became the first student organization this fall to respond publicly to a wave of violent crime around campus, calling for the University to make major changes in security policies. STAAR, which has expanded its focus beyond acquaintance rape to general crime, voted Wednesday to ask the University to increase police foot patrols and to introduce a police walking escort program. STAAR coordinator Anne Siegle said the group would like University Police officers to walk assigned routes on campus at regular times so that students can walk with them. The College senior said the system would allow officers to continue patrolling while doubling as escorts. But the proposal may not be feasible because it might allow criminals to know where police officers are at specific times. Although foot patrolmen are assigned certain sections of the campus to patrol, they cannot cover all sections of their beat at once and try to keep their routes unpredictable. Microbiology Professor Helen Davies, a member and former chairperson of the University Council's Safety and Security Committee, will present the proposals to the committee today on behalf of the STAAR. The microbiology professor acknowledged that the proposals are flawed, adding that the committee would have to amend them before accepting them. "It's a little more complex than just being able to say we'll give people a schedule," she said. "You have to move it around. You stagger it so you don't have the same predictable passage. This is one of the things that needs to be worked out." University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada declined to comment on the proposals, referring questions to Director John Logan. Logan could not be reached for comment. Canada, Logan and Police Captain John Richardson are all members of the committee. If the Safety and Security Committee adopts a version of the proposals, it may present it to the full Council November 14. Davies said students often provide the best suggestions since they know what services they need. "STAAR has come up with some excellent suggestions," Davies said. "We know they have put a lot of thought into what they are proposing. The whole committee will receive them with great enthusiasm." In the past, many improvements in University security have followed student outcry. Students routinely complain of insufficient security after highly-publicized incidents in which students are injured. STAAR's proposals come after a weekend in which several students were victims of armed robberies and one student was seriously hurt in a robbery. The student, College junior Roberta Koeppel, is listed in fair condition in Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Koeppel was originally listed in critical condition after being run over by a van Friday night during a robbery. The proposals also come after an increase this semester in armed robberies in the blocks just west of campus. Siegel said the latest crimes indicate that immediate changes are necessary. She said the new police escort system would be in addition to the existing van system and the walking escort program run by students. Siegel said the STAAR proposals could be implemented immediately. Buying more vans, she said, would take time and would require large-scale spending. Using police officers would only involve shifting officers' duties, she said. These proposals come as University Police and the administration are already taking steps toward easing the crime problem. Over the past year, the department has added 31 new officers, increasing its staff to 75. Earlier this week the department shifted beats to create a new nighttime foot patrol for the 4000 block of Locust, Pine and Spruce streets to cut down on armed robberies in that area. The department also extended another beat to cover the 4000 block of Walnut Street. Davies said the STAAR proposal for new foot patrols would not likely require the department to hire new officers. Davies added that STAAR's suggestions are a good example of "community policing," a concept introduced at the University last year that has become a buzzword among security officials. Siegel said students and the University must also take steps to decrease crime in West Philadelphia as a whole. She said crime is a community problem, not just a University problem, and local residents and the school must work together. "That's obviously going to take a lot longer and be a more
(10/23/90 9:00am)
University Police responded to a total of four robberies over the weekend, continuing an unusually high incidence of robbery this fall. Police also confiscated a loaded gun from an assault suspect and arrested a local man on theft charges. A University student was robbed at knifepoint just after midnight Sunday on the 4000 block of Pine Street. The student told police he was walking south on 40th Street toward Pine Street when he saw two men on the corner. He said one man called to him and they ran up behind him. One of the men pulled out a knife, told the student to "shut up" and demanded his money. The student handed over about $15 in cash and an address book. When the student asked to keep the book, one of the men jabbed him in the side with the knife. The student was not hurt but the knife punctured his leather jacket. The men then ran to a blue Cadillac double-parked on the street and drove off. Police interviewed one witness who confirmed the student's story, but were unable to make any arrests. In another incident, a local man and two juveniles robbed a University student with a toy gun at about 8 p.m. Saturday on the 42nd block of Pine Street. Police arrested the three on charges of armed robbery. The student said the three males pointed the toy gun at him but he thought it was real. He reported the incident to police who then spotted the suspects heading south on Baltimore Avenue towards 38th Street. Police stopped them and confiscated the plastic gun from Tyrone Whitney, 20, of 932 N. 42nd Street. Police charged Whitney and the two juveniles with armed robbery. One of the juveniles was carrying a key stolen from the victim. Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said even though the gun was fake, the armed robbery charge was appropriate because the victim thought the gun was real. The most serious of the robbery incidents was Friday night, when College junior Roberta Koeppel was run over by a van during an attempted robbery near the intersection of 41st and Locust streets. In other incidents, police confiscated a real gun from three other local men about an hour later in the field between High Rise North and 40th Street. Police responded to a report of an assault on 40th and Spruce streets at about 9 p.m. and spotted three males who matched the description heading north on 40th Street. Police stopped them and told them they would be frisked. One male, Dereck Kennedy, 20, of 1026 S. Paxton Street, initially fled from police. Several officers cornered him after a chase across the field. Police found a loaded .38-caliber handgun in his possession. Kennedy was arrested and charged with a weapons violation. The other two men were released by police. The assault victim could not identify any of the suspects. A local youth was injured at about 4 p.m. Saturday on College Green after a fight at the Philadelphia Civic Center spilled over onto campus. The youth told police he tried to defend his sister in a fight after a Poor Righteous Teacher concert but was chased away by three youths. The youth went into Meyerson Hall and asked a security guard for help. When the other youths entered the building, he fled onto the Green. He told police the youths caught him and pushed him headfirst into a lamppost. The youths then stole his wallet, he said. Police arrested the three youths. Eric Lewis, 20, of the 1400 block of S. Hicks Street, and two juveniles were charged with strongarm robbery. Police also arrested a local man who tried to steal a videocassette recorder Sunday afternoon from St. Mary's Church Hall, at 3916 Locust Walk. The man, Dale Benjamin Jones, 27, of 436 Jefferson Street, was cornered by church personnel until police arrived. Police charged him with theft.
(10/23/90 9:00am)
University Police yesterday increased off-campus patrols in response to a recent increase in armed robberies. Police have shifted coverage to add a new, 24-hour walking beat for the area between 40th and 41st streets from Locust Street to Pine Street. A University Police car will patrol an additional route between 40th and 43rd streets from Chestnut to Baltimore streets. Police have also extended another beat to include the 4000 block of Walnut Street. Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said the main focus of the new beats is to improve safety on the 4000 blocks of Pine and Spruce streets. Canada said the new beats will put officers in a better position to stop crimes in progress and will increase visibility to stop others from occurring. "There has been an increase in activity in that area," Canada said. "It's really hot in that area right now." This past weekend, police responded to two violent incidents in the area. College junior Roberta Koeppel was severely injured Friday night when she was run over by a van during a robbery attempt on the 4000 block of Locust Street. In another incident, a student was robbed at knifepoint early Sunday morning on the 4000 block of Pine Street. According to Canada, the new patrols are not likely to become permanent, but will last until police have improved safety in the area and discouraged would-be robbers. University Police frequently shift beats to cover shifting high-crime areas. Officers covering areas with low crime rates are transfered to the more active areas. Canada said the majority of the crimes in the area have been violent, usually involving a weapon. This fall alone, police have responded to several reported armed robberies and a pellet-gun shooting in the new coverage area. She said the area is a prime target for criminals because there are few street lights and those exisiting are obscured by overgrown trees. She also said the streets are lined with shrubberies at some points, providing cover to criminals. She said the department and a few neighbors have contacted city officials about trimming the trees to improve lighting but police do not expect any help until spring. "It's very dark," she said. "The streets are very dirty. They're really good places for crimes to happen." Also contributing to crimes, she said, is Billybob's restaurant at 40th and Spruce streets. The 24-hour convenience store and restaurant has a game room and attracts people from off-campus which can sometimes lead to crime, Canada said. But the spokesperson added that the business is no more of a problem than any of the other 24-hour businesses around campus. Canada said police also hope to encourage residents on these streets to take a more active role in preventing crime. She said there are no neighborhood organizations there, since most houses are occupied by students. But police hope to arrange sessions for residents to meet each other and learn ways to reduce crime, she said, adding that the department would suggest forming a neighborhood watch system.
(10/22/90 9:00am)
A University student was seriously injured Friday night when she was run over by a van during a robbery on the 4000 block of Locust Street. Robbers in a van grabbed the student's book bag as she got out of a car parked near 41st Street at 10:20 p.m. She was dragged for approximately 30 feet before hitting a parked car which knocked her under the van, according to University and Philadelphia Police. University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said the student initially struggled to hold onto the bag while the van was driving away. The student, College junior Roberta Koeppel, 20, was taken by ambulance to the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital trauma center. Friends said yesterday she remained in intensive care. Details about her condition were not available. The student's family has requested that no information be released on her condition. The University and the family have also requested that the student's name not be published. A hospital spokesperson told The Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday that the student remained in critical condition. University Chaplain Stanley Johnson said Koeppel is alert and aware of what happened, adding that she underwent surgery yesterday afternoon. Friends and Johnson said published reports that she was in a coma are unfounded. Plainclothes Philadelphia Police officers from the Anti-Crime Team, who were on patrol in the area, heard Koeppel's screams for help and called for backup. Police arrested two suspects after a 12-block car chase when the van hit three parked cars at 50th Street and Osage Avenue. Police charged Allan Waters, 23, of the 1300 block of S. Ruby Street, and Christopher Turner, 27, of Baltimore, Maryland, with robbery, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and other offenses. Friends and University officials were reluctant to discuss the accident or Koeppel's condition, saying they wanted to maintain the victim's privacy and that the family did not want the accident to attract attention. College sophomore Eliza Feuerstein said she and other friends have been at the hospital along with Koeppel's family almost nonstop since the accident. "She's a great girl and we all hope she gets better really soon," Feuerstein said. "She's filled with energy. She has time for all her friends when they need her. She's got so many beautiful characteristics." Since the accident, University officials have taken several steps to help Koeppel's friends and family. The University found a place for her family to stay, and University Chaplain Johnson has visited the hospital several times. Officials also contacted her friends and offered them counseling services. College junior Jeffrey Jacobson, co-chairperson of University Council's Safety and Security Committee, said the Friday incident is especially frightening for students since there was little Koeppel could have done to prevent it. He said students can avoid injury in robbery attempts by giving up their property without a struggle. One of Koeppel's friends was with her as the van drove by, and rushed to Koeppel's aid after she was hurt. Several students living on the block ran out into the street when they heard Koeppel screaming and watched as police and an ambulance arrived to help her. Onlookers said she was conscious the entire time. "One of the most disturbing things is to hear a girl scream and know you can't do anything about it," one student said. Several students said they were surprised that the crowd of approximately 20 people did not panic. They said prompt police response helped keep the crowd calm. They said police cars were on the scene within minutes, and officers kept people from getting too close to the victim. Emergency Medical Services officials said Sunday that Koeppel was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Center City because it was the nearest hospital with an open trauma center. The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has a certified trauma center but the center was closed Friday and Sunday and will be closed again Thursday because of a lack of available surgeons, according a letter from the hospital to the city ambulance directors. Staff writers Emily Culbertson, Christine Lutton and Andrew Libby contributed to this story.
(10/10/90 9:00am)
No charges are likely to be filed in the two indecent assaults reported to University Police this past weekend. Victims in both assaults reported the incidents to police but decided not to press charges and either could not or would not identify their assailants. In the first incident, two female Rosemont College students told police at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday that they had been the victims of an indecent assault at the St. Anthony's Hall fraternity house at 3736 Locust Walk. They reported that a brother, or friend of a brother, approached them at a party, grabbed cups of beer from their hands and then dumped the beer on them. The students said the assailant then grabbed them on the breasts and buttocks. The students first called Philadelphia Police. University Police then also responded. Police could not file charges because the two students declined to return to the house to identify the assailant. Police responded to a similar incident on Locust Walk that night. University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said a female student said she and another student were walking west on Locust Walk when a male broke off from a group and hit her in the chest. Canada said the student said she wasn't sure if the male was touching her or punching her. While the student was reporting the incident to police, she saw a male pass by resembling her assailant. Police stopped the man and checked to see if he had any outstanding warrants. The victim, however, could only identify the man by his clothing, not his face, and could not press charges.
(10/10/90 9:00am)
Two University students suffered head wounds Friday night in a fight with a band of youths attempting to crash a party at the students' off-campus house. Canada said the students told police they were arguing with a few local residents who wanted to enter their party when a gang of about 20 to 30 males, about 14 and 15 years old, approached the house. Police said they believe the youths are members of an Asian gang. The youths climbed onto the porch and went into an alleyway and began shouting insults at the students. When one of the students told them to leave, Canada said, he was hit over the head from behind. The student told police he believes he was hit with a cinder block. When the other student also told the youths to leave, he was punched and then tackled by several youths. Friends intervened but he was struck again in the head and in the eye. Canada said the students did not report the incident immediately because of their injuries. She said students notified police Monday morning.
(10/08/90 9:00am)
University Police responded to several reports of violent crime this weekend, including a shooting with a pellet gun, three gunpoint robberies and two indecent assaults. University Police Sergeant Susan Holmes said police were constantly busy during the weekend, especially on Saturday night, when they broke up several fights across campus. Responding to a call from a witness, police caught four suspects near the scene. They charged Andrew Niles, 20, of 309 South 40th Street with aggravated assault and weapons offenses. The other suspects were released. The victim, a fifth-year student, told police that four men approached him and one reached into his pocket. He said he heard a loud pop and then his leg went numb. He reported the incident minutes later to police. At the same time, a witness told police he saw the group shooting a gun at students. Police had caught the suspects before the victim was able to report the incident. The witness identified Niles as the one with the gun. Police found pellets in his left jacket pocket and found the gun in a hedge 15 feet away from where they caught him. This is the second shooting this fall with a pellet gun in the 40th Street area. Last month freshman Jarred Hirsch was shot just above the right eye outside of the McDonald's Restaurant on 40th and Walnut streets. Holmes said she did not know if Niles is a suspect in the Hirsch incident, but University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said the gun was sent to the Philadelphia Police Department's laboratory for analysis. In the first gunpoint robbery, a student was punched in the face and robbed on the 4300 block of Spruce Street at 8:35 p.m. last night. The student was treated and released from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. University Police arrested four men in connection with the robbery, and expect to charge at least one of them with robbery and aggravated assault today. Information on the men arrested was not immediately available. In a separate incident, police arrested a suspect in two armed robberies at 40th and Pine streets. Holmes said the suspect was released into the custody of city detectives, who will investigate the robberies. A student was robbed of $15 in cash at gunpoint by two men at 2:53 a.m. Saturday. Another student was robbed at the same corner at 4:10 a.m. at gunpoint, also by two men. The second student lost some cash and a watch. Police have made no arrests in a third armed robbery, at 10 minutes past midnight Sunday morning on the 4300 block of Spruce Street. Holmes said the victim reported being robbed at gunpoint by four men who fled in a black car. Holmes said police also investigated two reported indecent assaults, one by seven men on Locust Walk. The victim was unable to identify a suspect stopped by police. In the second, two women from another local school reported that they were grabbed on the breast and buttocks by several men at the St. Anthony's Hall fraternity house at 3637 Locust Walk. Further information on the perpetrators was not immediately available. One student sustained injuries to the face when he and another student were assaulted by two men at about 3 a.m. Friday on the 4000 block of Irving Street, near the Saladalley restaurant. Police also responded twice Saturday morning to break up fights at the Gold Standard/Christian Association building on Locust Walk. They arrested two males at about 1 a.m. for fighting, using obscene language and refusing to cooperate with police officers. The two men were issued citations. Minutes later, police issued two more citations to a man and a woman for inciting a riot and refusing to comply with a police order. Police arrested a student Saturday at the food court at 3401 Cafe at 34th and Walnut streets for underage drinking. Holmes said the student had a strong smell of alcohol on his breath, had speech problems and was carrying a flask. Holmes also reported two thefts in nearby subway stations Sunday. A student reported having his wallet stolen by a pickpocket at 30th and Market streets and another reported having a bag containg a $1,000 watch stolen at the 37th and Spruce streets station.
(10/02/90 9:00am)
A female University student said yesterday that three University City Associates employees sexually harassed her on Superblock Thursday afternoon and that their supervisor tried to bully her into not pressing charges. College senior Therisa Rogers said three employees sitting on a bench between High Rise North and High Rise East shouted obscene and anti-gay comments at her at about 4 p.m. Thursday. After notifying University police, who took the men into custody, Rogers met with Victim Support Services Director Ruth Wells to find out what action she could take against them. Rogers said a University City Associates supervisor came to the police headquarters, met with the men and then tried to convince her not to press charges. She said the supervisor tried to blame the incident on her, saying she had "partied" with them the night before at a local bar. Rogers said yesterday she had never met the men before. She said he also told her not press charges because one of the men involved in the incident is retarded and harmless. "I think he was trying to get me to drop charges and intimidate me and I told him so," she said, adding she is considering filing charges against him as well. "I felt it was apalling for a University employee to talk to a student that was already scared and blame it on her." University City Associates officials could not be readched for comment. University spokesperson Sylvia Canada said UCA employee William Oliphant went to the station along with the supervisor. Oliphant declined to comment yesterday. Canada said two of the me were released on their own recognizance and one was released in Oliphant's custody. The supervisor does not work directly for the University. The University's real estate department uses University City Associates to manage some of its property. Rogers said she has not filed charges against the men. She said Wells told her the University would charge the men under its harassment policy. But Rogers said if the University does not punish the men, she will file criminal charges. "If the University's going to take serious action then I won't need to," she said. "But if the University is going to sweep this under the rug, I will file criminal charges." (***EDS NOTE : Clarification - the 3 were not criminally charged) University Police identified the three men as Alfred Knight, 62, of the 3900 block of Chestnut Street; William Guy, 31, of 4260 Chestnut Street; and Preston Butler 31, of 123 South 39th Street. Rogers said she was walking between High Rise North and High Rise East when the three men started shouting profanities at her. She said one of them called her a "faggot" and asked her if she had been out partying the night before. She said she did nothing to suggest that she was gay. "I hadn't done anything or said anything that would indicate I was a homosexual," she said. "For whatever reason, they chose to say this. It was a really sexist and homophobic thing." She said a recent report of assault against gay-rights activist Darren Rosenblum made her concerned the men might become violent. "I was frightened," she said. "When I hear somebody say 'Fuck you, faggot,' I think they're going to hurt me," she said.
(09/26/90 9:00am)
It is too early to tell if the city's hiring freeze, which includes the cancellation of the start of classes for 170 police recruits, will have any effect on police protection in the University area, a Philadelphia Police captain said Monday. Mayor Wilson Goode announced the freeze last week. He said that it will allow city officials more time to devise a financial resuce plan before the city runs out of money. Philadelphia Police Captain Richard DeLise said that the cancellation of the November and January recruit classes would not have any effect until April, since police training is a five-month program. October's class of 80 to 100 recruits will start as scheduled, he said. He added that an improvement in the city's financial picture could revive the classes. The freeze does not affect University Police. University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said that the force has hired more than 30 officers during the past year, and now totals 75 officers. Mobile patrol extends west to 43rd Street between Chestnut and Pine streets, Canada said. Jim McDevitt, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said that while the city's force has grown, the FOP does not consider the current level to be a "totally safe level of manpower." "The police officers of the city of Philadelphia are good cops in spite of the system, not because of it," McDevitt said. The shortage of police has lead to problems for officers getting backup support on a crime scene. Without such support, officers can become more reluctant to take risks, he said. City Council member Lucien Blackwell said the freeze is necessary because the city failed to sell $375 million in short-term notes earlier this month. "We're being squeezed out of the money market by people who are playing politics with this administration," Blackwell said.
(09/26/90 9:00am)
University Police foiled two separate burglary attempts on the 3900 block of Baltimore Avenue within a half-hour period Monday. University Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said police received calls from students living on the block at 1:30 and 2 p.m. reporting intruders in their houses. Police responded in time to catch the would-be burglars before they made their escape. The first caller told police he saw a man wearing jeans, a hat and a red flannel shirt on the second-floor roof attempting to pry open a barred window. When the student called police, the man left, but officers Dan Forsythe and John Wilye spotted him nearby. They stopped the suspect, Samuel H. Woldeselasie, 30, of 3922 Parrish Street, and brought him back to the house. After the student identified Woldeselasie as the intruder, police arrested him and charged him with attempted burglary. The second call was from a student several doors down who was reporting an intruder in her house. Canada said the student later told police she was in a second-floor bedroom and heard noises on the third floor. She told police she went up to check but found nothing. When she came back down she noticed that a door that had been open when she left was closed. She called police and waited outside. Officers Michael Fink and Forsythe responded and found Christopher Gilmore, 24, of 5341 Chancellor Street, standing in front of a bureau in the house with stolen stereo equipment bundled at his feet. Police arrested Gilmore and charged him with burglary. Canada said Gilmore was wanted by Philadelphia Police on three outstanding warrants, but added that she did not know what the other charges were.
(09/24/90 9:00am)
Philadelphia Police exchanged gunfire with two armed robbers outside the Wawa Food Market on the 3900 block of Walnut Street early Friday morning before chasing one man nine blocks through West Philadelphia. Two police officers surprised the suspects as they left the store at 4 a.m., and one robber shot at the officers and tried to escape to a stolen car they had left at 39th and Sansom streets. Police eventually arrested the gunman, but not until he led police on a high-speed car chase through West Philadelphia in a stolen car and ran down an innocent bystander. The other suspect escaped. One police officer suffered minor injuries in the chase but neither the suspects or police officers were hit during the gunfire. No students were involved in the incident. Canada said Philadelphia Police officers Kevin and James Godfrey, who are brothers, were driving a police van on Walnut Street just after 4 a.m. Friday when they noticed that the clerk inside Wawa had his hands in the air and one of the customers was holding a handgun. They drove past the store, and Officer James Godfrey stepped out of the van to wait for the robbers to come out. Canada said it is police policy to not interrupt armed robberies. She said it is safer for police to try to catch suspects when there are no innocent people in the way. Entering the store, she said, would have put the clerk in more danger. Canada said Friday that University Police were still waiting for a report from a private security guard who patrols the 3900 block of Walnut and watches other University-owned properties up to 43rd and Pine streets. Canada said the unarmed guard apparently did not witness the robbery or shooting. "That's not saying they weren't doing their job," she said. "They just weren't at Wawa at the time." When the two robbers left the store, James Godfrey ordered them to halt. The gunman, Mark McCrea, 26, of the 1600 block of 54th Street, immediately fired on him twice. Godfrey fired back and chased the robber north on 39th Street, firing three more times. The other suspect apparently escaped. Kevin Godfrey joined the chase in his van at 39th and Sansom streets. The gunman then fired at the van and the officer shot back. McCrea then drove west on Sansom Street in a car that had been stolen earlier in the night, and Godfrey and several other police officers chased him down the narrow street. Henderson, the injured man, had just stepped out of his wife's car on the 4800 block of Sansom when McCreas car plowed into him. The gunman lost control of his getaway car, which careened into several parked cars and flipped over. Apparently unhurt in the crash, McCrea climbed out of the wrecked car and fled on foot. Police spotted him minutes later near a housing development on the 400 block of Busti Street, where an officer fired at the suspect after a struggle. McCrea was eventually caught on 46th Street and Haverford Avenue by two more officers and charged with robbery, aggravated assault and resisting arrest. Several students living in the High Rises reported hearing gunshots from their rooms. Nursing junior Tracy Lawrence said she and a roommate were awakened by the shots and watched police corner the gunman at 39th and Sansom streets from their window. Police recovered some of the $150 stolen in the robbery in the overturned car. Police have not yet found the gun. Canada also said police seem to have followed proper procedure in chasing the suspect, even though the high-speed chase led to Henderson's injuries. She said city and University Police policies call for officers to pursue felons as long as they have the suspect in sight. Three years ago, the 39th to 40th and Walnut streets area became one of the most dangerous parts of campus. During the 1987-88 school year the block was the scene of a triple stabbing and a fatal shooting. A University student was shot the next year outside the movie theater on 40th Street. After quieting down for a while, the area is again being plagued by violent crime. Two Philadelphia men were killed and two more injured at 40th and Sansom streets September 1. Last weekend, a University student was shot just above the right eye with a BB or pellet gun.
(09/21/90 9:00am)
University Police arrested a West Philadelphia man Monday, moments after he threatened a local man with a gun and hit him three times with it near the Hill House dormitory at 34th and Walnut streets. Police spokesperson Sylvia Canada said the assailant struck the man with the gun in an apparent robbery attempt. The victim, a 29-year-old local man, was not seriously injured in the incident. The man reported the crime immediately to University Police, who tracked the assailant and arrested him four blocks away. Shortly after, the victim identified the suspect as Stacey Foster, 23, of 514 N. 39th St. Foster is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday on charges on aggravated assault. Canada said Foster and the victim were both walking west on Walnut Street toward 34th Street at about 9:50 p.m. when Foster slowed to let the man pass him. Canada said Foster pulled a semi-automatic handgun out and told the man to hand over his money. When the victim did not respond immediately, Foster struck him three times with the butt of the gun and then fled west on 34th Street, Canada said. After the victim notified police, dispatchers notified officers patrolling the area. University police first tried to stop Foster on the 3700 block of Walnut Street but he fled. Police caught him minutes later in the 7-11 convenience store on 38th and Sansom streets, where he had crouched in the aisle to avoid being spotted. Canada said although it appears the assailant intended to rob the victim, nothing was taken. The apparent attempted robbery comes almost a year to the day after an armed assailant robbed a University student and her boyfriend of a Toyota Celica in front of Hill House. According to witnesses, the assailant fired a gunshot into the are during the incident. University Police recommend that students immediately report any crimes, including specific details as possible. If police have descriptions of suspects, they will be able to catch them before they escape, police say.
