By Stephanie Snyder and LeeAnn DiSanti
An attempted armed robbery reportedly occurred on the lower level of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation’s parking garage Monday at approximately 8:15 a.m., according to ASU police.
The victim, a woman who is an administrative staff employee for the college, parked on the lowest level of the parking structure and was followed by a young male as she approached the elevators, the school’s spokesman Terry Olbrysh said.
The woman saw a person that she thought was a student and did not think anything of it, said Olbrysh, calling the incident a “crime of opportunity.” Olbrysh said the man proceeded to pull out a gun and demanded the victim’s purse before the victim reasoned with the assailant and convinced him to eventually leave.
Olbrysh said the victim calmed the suspect by discussing her financial situation with him and saying she needed the money for her daughter. The two rode the elevator to the floor of the lobby, Olbrysh said, and the attacker ordered the school’s employee to exit the elevator before him. The employee again reasoned with him so that he would leave the elevator first, Olbrysh said.
When the attacker left, the woman called 911 and saw a counselor in the Health Center, Olbrysh said. Afterward, a couple of employees accompanied her home since she was still quite shaken, he said. Phoenix police and campus security searched the parking garage for the suspect, but said no one was found.
Later in the day, ASU police issued a crime alert that provided a description of the suspect. He is described as a Hispanic male in his early 20s, approximately 5’7” and 150 pounds with short black hair, brown eyes, no discernable accent and was last seen wearing a grey polo shirt and dark pants.
ASU Parking and Transit Services also released this suspect description via e-mail to all of the parking garage permit holders, along with their own statement.
The City of Phoenix and ASU Police are escalating their presence in the parking structure by implementing an increase of Phoenix Police in the area and having ASU police aids patrol the area on bicycles, according to ASU PTS.
Contact the reporters at news@downtowndevil.com
