One of the robberies that prompted a May 24 public safety notice occurred near the South Oval.
Credit: Chelsea Spears / Multimedia Editor
Three robberies were reported on or near campus in the late evening Friday and early morning Saturday, prompting University Police to issue a public safety notice Saturday afternoon.
Two of the incidents reportedly occurred on Ohio State’s campus, while the other occurred off campus.
The first robbery occurred on West 17th Avenue and College Road at 11:05 p.m., when a male student was knocked down by two suspects, causing mild injuries to the head and face. “Personal property” was stolen, according to the University Police public safety notice.
One suspect was described as a 16-17-year-old black man standing at about 5 feet, 8 inches with long, braided hair and facial hair. He was reportedly wearing blue jeans. The second suspect was also described as a black man between the ages of 16-17, standing at 5 feet, 6 inches with short hair. He was described as wearing a white and gray polo shirt and dark blue jeans.
The second robbery reportedly occurred on the South Oval near Hale Hall at 11:16 p.m. A male student “was knocked down, kicked and punched and had personal property stolen,” according to the public safety notice. The victim was unable to provide any suspect description.
The third robbery reportedly happened off campus at East 13th Avenue and North Pearl Street at 1:24 a.m. Saturday. The suspect showed and pointed a knife at a male student, who had property stolen from him but was not injured.
Click to enlarge.
The suspect in that incident was described as a black man between the ages of 20-22. The Columbus Division of Police is investigating the third robbery, according to the notice.
The public safety notice notice asked anyone with information to contact University Police or Columbus Division of Police.
Public safety notices are issued when crimes are considered to be of a “concern and/or continuing threat to the campus community,” though it does not mean there was an increase in crime or a crime pattern exists, according to the notice.
There have been at least three other public safety notices issued so far in 2014. Two notices were for an armed robbery and attempted armed robbery in March and April, respectively, and another was for a reported rape in a residence hall in February.
University Police representatives were unavailable for comment.
