Armed robberies reported on Wendell, Blake streets

The Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) and the Cambridge Police Department (CPD) received two reports of armed robbery on Feb. 17. In both incidents, two offenders approached a male graduate student, demanded money, displayed a knife, and then fled.

In the first incident, which occurred on Wendell Street on Feb. 16 at approximately 7 p.m., the offenders took money from the victim’s wallet. The victim described the first of two suspects as a “chubby” Asian male, 20 years of age, 5 feet 7 inches tall, 200 pounds in weight, with short dark hair and wearing a dark raincoat. The second suspect is described as a white male, 20 years of age, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 165 pounds in weight, wearing a dark raincoat and a red scarf wrapped around his face.

The second incident occurred on Feb. 17 at approximately 9:25 p.m. while the victim was walking on Banks Street toward Flagg Street. The offenders fled after taking the victim’s money, credit cards, and a cellular phone. The first suspect is described as a black male with a heavy build, between 18 and 20 years of age, 6 feet tall, and wearing a gray, puffy jacket with a fur collar and hood. The second suspect is described as a black male with a skinny build, 16 to 17 years of age, between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall, and wearing a dark sweatshirt.

Because these incidents did not occur on University property, they are being investigated by CPD. However, both CPD and HUPD are working aggressively to find the persons responsible for these incidents and will continue to deploy both uniformed and plainclothes officers to patrol areas that students frequently use.

HUPD strongly encourages victims to report incidents as soon as possible after they occur. Also, if at any time you observe any suspicious activity, please notify HUPD at (617) 495-1212. If anyone has any information regarding these incidents, please contact CPD, Criminal Investigation Division, at (617) 349-3370.

For information on shuttle buses and evening van service, visit the University’s Transportation Services Web site (http://www.uos.harvard.edu/transportation/shu.shtml) or call (617) 495-0400.