Man snatches purse from woman on bike
Updated: December 9, 2012
URBANA -- Campus crime has some students concerned about safety, especially since it's happening in quieter parts of the city.
The latest alert came on Saturday night. A robbery was reported just before 10 PM. It happened on the 200 block of Mathews Avenue in Urbana. Police said a woman was riding her bike on the sidewalk near the engineering buildings on the University of Illinois campus. A man grabbed the purse right off her shoulder and ran away.
"I can't believe it happened so close just because I feel like nothing ever happens here," said Hanting Wang, who lives nearby.
"It was surprising to me but I feel like she might have been riding slowly so it's something that could happen," said Daniel Mosiman, who is a student at the University of Illinois.
Campus police are trying to track down who did it. Some students said even though they get the alerts, they try not to worry.
"I've never really felt unsafe on this area," said Charles Pugh, who is a student at the University of Illinois. "These things are not really going to happen to you, which is kind of how I feel even right after hearing about this."
But others said they still plan to take extra precautions just in case.
"I know that things happen on campus and I just don't want to take that risk," said Wang.
Police said the suspect is between 5'5" and 5'9" and in his mid-twenties. He was wearing a dark red or orange sweatshirt and a knit hat. If you have any information, call campus police.
The latest alert came on Saturday night. A robbery was reported just before 10 PM. It happened on the 200 block of Mathews Avenue in Urbana. Police said a woman was riding her bike on the sidewalk near the engineering buildings on the University of Illinois campus. A man grabbed the purse right off her shoulder and ran away.
"I can't believe it happened so close just because I feel like nothing ever happens here," said Hanting Wang, who lives nearby.
"It was surprising to me but I feel like she might have been riding slowly so it's something that could happen," said Daniel Mosiman, who is a student at the University of Illinois.
Campus police are trying to track down who did it. Some students said even though they get the alerts, they try not to worry.
"I've never really felt unsafe on this area," said Charles Pugh, who is a student at the University of Illinois. "These things are not really going to happen to you, which is kind of how I feel even right after hearing about this."
But others said they still plan to take extra precautions just in case.
"I know that things happen on campus and I just don't want to take that risk," said Wang.
Police said the suspect is between 5'5" and 5'9" and in his mid-twenties. He was wearing a dark red or orange sweatshirt and a knit hat. If you have any information, call campus police.
