University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner said crime on and around campus this week was slow, aside from three reports of molestation on Monday afternoon.

According to a crime alert from UMPD Chief Greg Hestness on Monday, two of the victims are students. Each was approached from behind and groped before the suspect ran away, Miner said.

University and Minneapolis police are working to follow all leads and track down what they think is a single suspect, Miner said.

Minneapolis Police Public Information Officer John Elder said the MPD is making progress on the case.

“We’re aggressively and actively pursuing leads and dealing with it,” Elder said.

Man lurking with intent to commit a crime at Commons Hotel

An employee at the Commons Hotel called police on Saturday night after he saw a man trying to open car doors in the hotel’s rear lot, Miner said.

When the worker confronted the man, he saw the suspect prying at car handles in an attempt to get inside, Miner said.

The suspect tried to walk away as if nothing had happened when police officers arrived, but the hotel employee pointed him out and explained the situation, Miner said.

Because police didn’t see the incident, Miner said, they worked with the witness to fill out a citizen’s arrest form.

Miner said citizen’s arrests don’t vary greatly from typical arrests.

According to a University police report, the 19-year-old suspect was cited for lurking with intent to commit a crime, and Miner said officers have dealt with the individual in the past.

Theft from vehicle near Marcy Holmes

Joseph Crook, a 25-year-old dancer, said he parked his car on Fourth Street Southeast near East Hennepin Avenue at about 7 p.m. last Tuesday. He went to get a massage nearby and when he returned, his car window had been broken and his backpack was missing.

Crook said he drove around the area hoping to find the stolen bag after he spoke with police.

The backpack, Crook said, was worth more than the gym clothes and dance supplies inside it. It also contained his W2 tax form and social security number, he said.

Crook said his car was previously broken into in Uptown.

Police have no information about the suspect in Crook’s case, according to a Minneapolis police report.

“The police officer was very nice, but he said that it happens all the time and there’s no way to catch them,” Crook said.