The Department of Public Safety at The University of Memphis has issued a campus-wide safety alert following what may have been a robbery attempt early Tuesday morning.
A custodian reported that at 6:40 a.m., as she was working on the second floor of Jones Hall, she was approached by a man who repeatedly demanded money from her.
The custodian told him she had no money, but finally gave him her change, which was all she had on her person. The suspect then left the building.
Bruce Harber, associate director of public safety, said the young man never threatened the custodian or displayed a weapon. However, the woman reported that the suspect kept his hands in his pockets during the incident.
“We did not have a robbery or anything like it over there today,” Harber said.
Although the suspect never implied he had a weapon, the victim was obviously shaken, according to Dr. Carol Crown, art history professor, who spoke with the victim soon after the incident.
“She needed to talk about it,” Crown said. “It was intimidating for her, and she was alone. She didn’t know what his intentions were.”
The suspect was described as an African-American male, about 6 feet tall and 170 pounds. He wore a dark trench coat and a dark blue-and-brown-striped skull cap.
Students and faculty are encouraged to call the campus safety dispatch at extension 4357 if someone matching this description is seen, especially early in the morning.
Harber said a campus safety alert will be posted today concerning the incident.
Rumors ran rampant across The U of M campus concerning the “robbery” in Jones Hall, but campus safety said the incident was far less dramatic than the rumors implied.
Some rumors about the incident included the suspect wearing a ski mask and threatening the victim with a gun, both of which are untrue.
Lorelei Corcoran, a professor whose office is located on the same floor that the custodian was working on when she was approached, said the incident is very disturbing.
“It makes us more careful, especially when we’re teaching classes late at night,” Corcoran said. “We keep the doors to our offices closed.”
Jones Hall has recently been the scene of several problematic events.
Crown’s office, also located on the second floor of Jones Hall, was recently broken into, along with others in the same hallway.
“They were looking for my portable computer, which wasn’t here,” Crown said.
There is no evidence that suggests the break-ins and Tuesday’s incident were related.
