Police at San Diego State University (SDSU) warned students Saturday morning of two incidents in which thieves targeted students on campus, trying to steal their cell phones.
The university issued a Community Safety Alert to students just before 7:30 a.m. Saturday. The bulletin outlined two similar strong arm robbery incidents that happened Friday night on campus, a half-hour apart.
The first happened at 10:30 p.m. at 5150 East Campus Dr. As a student stood in front of an east side residence hall, campus police said a suspect grabbed the student’s cell phone and ran away with a second man toward the back of a Jack-in-the-Box restaurant at 5100 College Ave. The victim was not hurt.
The second case happened at 11 p.m. in the 5100 block College Avenue. SDSU police said a man tried to snatch a student’s phone from their hand. The phone fell on the ground and the suspect fled with a second man to the parking areas on the east side. The victim in this incident was also unharmed.
Police believe the same suspect was involved in both cases.
SDSU police said witnesses described the suspect as being in his early 20s. He stood at approximately 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-9 and wore dark clothing. His companion was described as being between 16 and 20 years old, tall and slender, and wearing dark jeans and a hooded sweatshirt with the hood covering his head.
The university issued a similar warning in early October after two other cases involving the theft of students’ cellphones on campus.
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SDSU police said students should remain alert and report suspicious activity to 911. Campus police also advised students keep their phones out of sight when walking from one place to another.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on these crimes can call SDSU police at (619) 594-1991 or reach out via email to police@mail.sdsu.edu.
