A female student reported to University Police that about 7:20 a.m, on Monday, November 1, 2004, as she was getting out of her car in the northernmost Zach Curlin parking lot (Lot # 50) near the intersection of Central Avenue and Zach Curlin Street, she was approached from behind by a man who demanded that the victim hand over her wallet. The victim was able to get away from the man and he fled.
The victim reported the man was armed with a small pocketknife, but she was not injured. She described him as white, about 6â€~2"- 6’4" tall, slim, wearing a ski mask, black long-sleeve shirt, and black pants.
At this time, while there are similarities to the incident that occurred in the Central Lot last Tuesday, the University Police cannot state for certain whether or not the two incidents are related. The victim in Tuesday̢۪s incident told police today her attacker was an African-American male.
The University Police are taking several steps to address the issue, including increasing the number of officers on patrol on each shift and focusing particular attention to parking lots. We are continuing to advise students to be aware of their surroundings, to avoid walking alone, particularly in remote or sparsely populated areas, and to call the University̢۪s escort program, the Tiger Patrol, to accompany them to and from their dorms or cars. The Tiger Patrol number is 678-4663 (HOME). Please refer to the original alert or the Public Safety/Police Services web site for additional safety precautions.
Incidents like this have been extremely rare on our campus and statistics compiled annually by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have for a number of years shown that the University of Memphis is one of the safest university campuses in Tennessee. However, the University is encouraging everyone to practice good safety habits to help ensure that our campus is safe.
For more information see related links:
Little known about Central Lot incident
Public Safety Alert Regarding Central Lot Incident
