The University of Minnesota reports that four robberies have occurred on campus in broad daylight since last Wednesday.
The first incident occurred on Nov. 3 around 1:30 p.m. and involved a suspect pointing a gun at a woman, taking her purse and cellphone. The next two occurred on Nov. 5 at about 3:00 p.m. when three armed individuals tried to steal a car and successfully stole a cellphone. The final robbery happened on Nov. 7 at about 1:30 p.m. and was perpetrated by two men with guns who escaped in a black Dodge Durango.
This may be the same black Dodge Durango that was recently stolen from a left-wing Hennepin County commissioner and used to commit up to six carjackings earlier this month.
There has arguably never been a more dangerous time to be a University of Minnesota student. Violent crime in the area surrounding campus has nearly doubled since last year. Despite many students’ calls for fewer police officers, the school has discovered that adding officers actually decreases crime. Recent increases in police around campus resulted in a 38% drop in crime.
However, crime still remains a large problem. There have been several reported robberies of individuals and over a dozen reported vehicle thefts in the vicinity of the university over the last two weeks, according to the city.
There have also been several reports of shots fired over the last 30 days near campus.
Meanwhile, some students like Susan Esbe report taking their safety into their own hands through gun ownership, although they are not allowed to carry concealed to class. Instead, the college recommends that students don’t travel alone and turn on location services on their phones so that authorities can track down their devices once they are stolen.
Kyle Hooten
Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.
