Two female Ohio State students were robbed at gunpoint in the off-campus area early Thursday morning.
According to a public safety notice email OSU Police sent just after 3:30 p.m., two female students reported that they were robbed by an unidentified male with a handgun on Chittenden Avenue at about 3:10 a.m. Thursday. The suspect forced the women against a wall on 100 Chittenden Ave. and demanded their cell phones and money.
10TV reported that the women were unharmed.
University Police Chief Paul Denton urged students to be careful when out late at night.
“We want students to be aware of their surroundings,” he said.
The email stated that this report does not mean there has been an increase in on or off-campus crime.
The property where the altercation took place is owned by real estate firm Kohr Royer Griffith and managed by Pat Steane, who said that as far as she knows, the victims are not her tenants.
“We try to do everything we can to keep residents safe in their residence, but we can’t do anything outside,” she said.
Steane urges off-campus residents to be cautious when out late at night and not to walk alone.
“I’ll be here late at night in the evening and see girls walking in groups of two, three … it’s not safe. It’s just not safe,” she said. “Obviously, people who are going to commit crimes like that know this is a prime place to steal.”
One Chittenden resident said that he already takes extra precautions while out in the evening.
“I don’t really walk down the street at night with headphones in, and I try to walk with other people,” said Will Jefferies, a third-year in business.
Jefferies said that he doesn’t consider the area to be a high-crime area, despite reports of crime near his residence.
“There was a robbery that happened right beside our house. Other than that it’s not terrible,” Jeffries said.
The Columbus Division of Police did not immediately return requests for comment.
Thomas Bradley contributed to this article.
