Campus police are investigating the Feb. 16 robbery of a 25-year-old female University student, said Chuck Miner, a University police lieutenant.
The robbery took place on Cleveland Avenue North, in Falcon Heights, Minn., near the St. Paul campus.
“The victim said a gun was used, was pointed at her,” Miner said.
The victim, Charlotte Friddle, a doctoral student in applied economics, said the man grabbed her from behind and then showed a gun.
“I turned around, and he was pointing a gun at my head,” she said.
After a short struggle, the strap on her purse broke, and the man fled with her purse, Friddle said.
Friddle said she was not harmed in the struggle.
“I struggled with him for about 30 seconds,” she said. “It was just an unlucky time that there wasn’t anyone around.”
The man does not appear to be involved in the recent robberies near campus, Miner said.
“He doesn’t fit the description of the other (robberies),” Miner said. “This one is different. We don’t see any sort of pattern here.”
The suspect is described as a man in his early 20s and 5 feet 5 inches tall, Miner said.
“We’re checking with St. Paul police to see if they’ve had any similar robberies in that area,” Miner said.
Theft from bookstore
On Friday, University police cited a 19-year-old University student for theft after security caught her stealing property from the bookstore in Coffman Union.
The student told police she stole Burt’s Bees complexion soap and that the action “was stupid.”
Police issued a ticket for theft and gave her a trespass warning that prohibits her from entering East Bank buildings, except Boynton Health Service, until March 18, the police report said.
Alcohol, marijuana and driving
Police pulled over an 18-year-old student Feb. 16 after a random check showed he had a suspended license, according to a police report.
The student admitted to police he had been drinking.
Police searched the car and found four cans of beer and two marijuana pipes, according to the report.
The student received citations for possession of liquor by a minor, driving after having his license suspended and driving while intoxicated.
Police impounded the student’s vehicle.
