After two attempts in the past week by students to catch suspicious persons without immediate police assistance, University and Charlottesville police are admonishing students not to attempt to catch suspects in the serial rapist case on their own.
"We don't know if it was the serial rapist," Charlottesville Police Captain Chip Harding said. "In the last week we've had students who have tried to catch peeping toms -- one of them may have been the serial rapist."
Police said they would prefer students not personally attempt to catch the serial rapist.
"Please stop trying to catch the serial rapist," University Police Sgt. Melissa Fielding said. "We always strongly urge members of the community to just act as eyes and ears and never physically intervene because of potential dangers to their safety."
Police officials said personally trying to apprehend possible suspects is not a wise decision.
"There is less likelihood someone would get hurt if they would just get back," Harding said. "And you don't know when someone like this would have a knife or a gun or some form of a weapon."
Charlottesville police said there were two accounts in which students attempted to catch possible suspects without police aid in the past week.
"Wednesday morning at 3 a.m. on Virginia Avenue, a male student saw a black man staring into a window and then move to another window," Harding said. "The man chased him but was unable to catch him."
The second attempt followed two days later.
"Friday at 3 a.m., a female student was walking with her boyfriend and saw a black male behind a bush who was trying to look into a window," Harding said. "The female said she was screaming for help as her boyfriend chased the guy. There ended up being a small crowd chasing the suspect -- the suspect knocked the cell phone out of his hand and ran off."
University police officials say there are alternatives to personally apprehending possible suspects.
"People have cell phones all the time; if you see someone acting suspicious it's always better to call the police immediately," Fielding said.
She said the police find calls more helpful than apprehension attempts.
"The thing that is more handy to us in the law enforcement field is getting additional information from people in the community," Fielding said.
Police assure residents they will still receive the $20,000 award for calling in the serial rapist.
"If you are worried about the award, you can call it in and you will still get the award because officers are not eligible for it," Harding said.
Charlottesville police say advances have been made in the serial rapist case. Over 200 people were eliminated as suspects, Charlottesville Police Lt. J. W. Gibson said.
Police also stressed the importance of personal safety as preventative actions against the serial rapist.
"You have to remember to keep your doors and windows locked -- you would be surprised how many doors we find unlocked and standing open at 3 or 4 a.m.," Harding said.
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