Police suspended their search for a suspect involved in an armed robbery that occurred at 9:54 p.m. on E 17th Avenue and Alder Street Thursday night according to Kelly McIver, University of Oregon Police Department’s public information officer.
The suspect is described as a black male in his early 20s, 5-foot-9, heavy build, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants. The suspect is also described with a chain in his pocket and a bandana. He may be armed.
The victims, an 18-year-old woman, and a 21-year-old man, parked their vehicle on E 17th and saw the suspect across the street talking on a cell phone, according to the Eugene Police Department. The suspect then crossed the street and called out to the victims after they finished unloading their car. When they turned around, the suspect robbed them of their purse and wallet at gunpoint and then fled on foot from the area.
The EPD news release said a Lane County Sheriff’s Office K9 searched the area and officers spent almost an hour canvassing the area but did not locate the suspect. McIver said that the search will not be reopened unless new leads about the identity or location of the subject emerge.
While the victims were not UO students, several UO Alerts were issued by UOPD because the robbery occurred within UO’s Clery boundary, McIver said. The Clery Act requires universities receiving federal aid to disclose information related to crimes on and near campus.
This latest police activity comes on the heels of multiple incidents the past few weekends. On Nov. 9, police arrested two suspects involved in a shooting at 17th Avenue and Ferry Street. Police also investigated two possibly connected assaults occurring near 14th Avenue and Ferry Street on the morning of Oct. 27.
The Emerald will continue to report on this story as it develops.
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