A University student was robbed at gunpoint and assaulted near the Corner yesterday morning.
Capt. Chip Harding of the Charlottesville Police said at this point in the investigation the robbery does not appear to be related to other recent robberies in the area.
The victim, a 21-year-old student, was walking alone on the 1300 block of Wertland Street around 1 a.m. when the robbery took place, Harding said.
According to Harding, a suspect approached the student, displayed a silver semiautomatic handgun and proceeded to take all the money that the student possessed.
Harding added that there appeared to be two other suspects with the robber, though they did not approach the victim.
The victim described the suspects as three black males wearing white T-shirts and baggy jeans, according to Charlottesville Police Sgt. Marc Brake. The victim reported that the perpetrator struck the victim with an object before leaving the area, Brake said.
Brake did not comment on what the suspect used to strike the student.
Both Harding and Brake said the robbery highlights the importance of students taking precautions when walking at night.
"Again, we stress that they try not to walk alone at night, and they walk in the well-lit areas," Brake said.
Harding also encouraged students traveling at night to travel by car whenever possible and to always take precautions, regardless of what area they are in.
"If I were in a parking lot walking to my apartment I would be aware of my surroundings," Harding said.
Harding cautioned that while walking with a friend does not prevent all robberies, taking such precautions can reduce a student's chances of becoming a victim. He noted that while there have been instances in which two people walking together were robbed, such occurrences are much more rare than robberies of students walking alone.
Harding added, however, that if a student is in a situation involving an armed attacker, the best option may be to cooperate. Harding referenced an attempted robbery last week near the Corner area in which the student victim walked away from an armed suspect, ignoring the gun.
"I was really quite surprised that this student didn't get hurt," Harding said.
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