[ back ]
Two victims in rare B.C. robbery
(by Terrence T. McDonald - August 27, 2008)
Two Bloomfield College students were robbed at gunpoint on the college campus last week, only two days before the college began orientation for first-year students and their parents.
The timing of the robbery has college officials nervous that parents of new students will think the campus may be dangerous. In a statement e-mailed to the faculty and staff the day after the incident, Bloomfield College President Richard Levao called it “deplorable” and pledged to increase safety on campus.
The robbery occurred Aug. 21 at 9:30 p.m., when two male students sitting on a bench in the college’s quad were approached by a black male who showed them a silver revolver and demanded their money, said Police Spokesman Capt. Chris Goul.
After robbing the men of $400 in cash and their cell phones, the suspect entered a red or maroon Mercury Cougar driven by a second man, Goul said. The victims, who were unharmed, offered no description of the driver.
The alleged robber is described as weighing 200 pounds, standing about 5’8”, with short hair, and wearing dark clothing and a black baseball cap.
With no description of the getaway car’s license plate or driver, police have few leads to investigate, Goul said.
It has been a while since crime caused much concern at the college, said Daniel Andre, a sophomore who lives on campus. Andre, 19, said he was milling around the campus the night of the robbery, and was surprised when he saw the police activity.
“I was kind of shocked, because it’s really rare when something like that happens,” he said.
Andre said he never feels unsafe walking around the campus, “even when it’s late, late night.” The robbery doesn’t worry him because he feels it is a “once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
The college is now taking steps to increase surveillance on campus and train students on crime awareness, according to Jill Alexander, public relations director for Bloomfield College. The college will also provide professionals to help any students who are suffering emotionally because of the robbery, Alexander said.
Alexander sits on an emergency response team that meets monthly to discuss campus safety. The team has done “very well” ensuring that robberies and other violent crimes remain rare, she said.
“We are constantly reviewing our security - what we can do to make sure people can stay safe,” Alexander said. “We know that there’s stuff out there that we have to constantly be aware of.”
According to Alexander, the two victims were both first-year students. Though she has not spoken to them, she has heard that they “seem to be doing fine.”
Robberies are rare at Bloomfield College, where thefts from dormitories or unattended classrooms is the most frequent crime on campus, according to Goul.
[ back ]
