On the evening of Nov. 17 in the parking lot across from West Hall, a female University of Memphis student was the victim of the campus' third reported robbery for 2006.
The victim, who wished to remain unidentified, was walking to her car on a way to a rehearsal in the music building. She said at about 10:30 p.m. a "light colored car" drove up behind and alarmed her because the lot was empty.
"I was walking to my car. I had my keys in my hand and the car was about 10 or 12 feet from me," she said. "They pulled up behind me, I heard the door open and someone ran towards me."
The victim described the suspect as 5'6" or 5'7", about 250 pounds, had thin wire framed glass and was black. She also added that he had no facial hair and wore a white T-shirt and dark pants.
Although the victim claimed the car was light in color, the campus police daily incident log stated the car may have been a white Crown Victoria. She added that the car was also a sedan and that there was at least one other person in the car.
"We're not sure on that one, but she saw something inside the car," said Derek Myers, deputy director of campus police, in reference to a weapon possibly in possession during the robbery. "He came out the back door, so there were at least two or three people in there."
The victim, though, said the suspect had a shotgun, ran towards her and demanded she hand over everything she had. She gave him her purse, which had her credit cards, checkbook and cash.
"Those were the only things of value," she said.
The suspect pulled out of the parking lot and she alerted police at 10:42 p.m., according to the police report. After calling police, she called her bank to ask that they freeze her account.
According to an immediate bank statement, the suspect used her card at a gas station on Getwell Road. She also said police caught video footage at the gas station of the suspects buying and selling gas.
Altogether, the suspect spent $160 from her card, but she said her bank refunded all of it after freezing the account.
No arrests have been made yet, though.
"The case is still active," Myers said.
This year's current record of University area robberies, though, does not exceed the 11 total robberies reported in 2005 and the most recent incident had no additional reports of injuries or assault, according to campus police and the victim.
