A delivery person for Satisfaction Restaurant was robbed at gunpoint near 302 Anderson St. on Central Campus at approximately 9:19 p.m. Saturday.
A delivery person for Satisfaction Restaurant was robbed at gunpoint near 302 Anderson St. on Central Campus at approximately 9:19 p.m. Saturday.
The suspect is described as a black male in his mid 20s with a small mustache and thick, short dark hair. He was last seen wearing a blue and red sports jersey and navy blue shorts.
The Duke University Police Department released a composite sketch Sunday afternoon, but the name of the victim is not being released because police are working with him to identify his alleged robber through a photo line up, said Maj. Phyllis Cooper, a DUPD spokesperson.
“We have some very strong leads that may or may not pan out,” Cooper said.
University officials sent an e-mail to Central Campus residents Sunday morning informing them of the armed robbery. In the e-mail, Eddie Hull, executive director of housing services and dean of residential life, reminded students to lock their doors and keep their entrance lights on and to not walk alone.
The late evening robbery occurred on the first weekend DUPD began to exercise its extended jurisdiction in the neighborhoods around East Campus. Police presence on campus and in the area near East was also heightened due to the typically rowdy parties students throw at the beginning of the year.
A mobile Durham Police Department substation was also parked on Buchanan Street behind Epworth Dormitory, and teams of Duke and Durham officers patrolled the area regularly.
Cooper emphasized that DUPD’s presence off campus did not translate to insufficient patrols on Central.
“You can’t say that having a police officer everywhere on campus would prevent every crime,” she said. “There’s never 100 percent safety. There’s always a criminal out there.”
Several armed robberies occurred on campus last year. In November 2003 a student reported that he was robbed at the ATM in the Bryan Center; another student was allegedly robbed at gunpoint on Erwin Road the same week. Last April a student reported being held up at knifepoint at the corner of Erwin Road and Anderson Street.
In the wake of those incidents, the University instituted several new safety measures, including additional security patrols on campus.
“What we’re trying to do is raise people’s awareness of what it means to be safe and taking some personal security measures and also contacting us if you see anything suspicious in the area or any suspicious activity,” Cooper said.
If anyone sees any unusual people or behavior or has any information that might help police locate the suspect in Saturday night’s robbery, please contact the DUPD at 684-2444.
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