Two incidents of crime occurred on campus this past weekend.
A cell phone robbery on Central Campus Saturday night is prompting an increase in Duke University Police Department patrols in the area. In a seemingly unrelated chase, Durham Police chased two suspects and caught them near the golf course of the Washington Duke Inn.
The first took place on Saturday night, when a student was robbed at gunpoint on Central Campus. The victim of the robbery was a male Duke student who went unnamed in a DukeALERT message sent out to students at around 1:40 p.m. Sunday. The student was attending a party on Anderson Street when he was approached by two men who asked to use his cell phone. After the student gave the men his cell phone, they then threatened him with a silver handgun and left in the direction of Lewis Street. The robbery occurred between 2:30 and 3:00 a.m.
Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta wrote in an email Sunday that the investigation for Saturday night’s robbery was “still in progress” and declined to comment further on the nature of the crime. He noted that his initial reaction was to ensure the Duke Police had responded to the robbery and removed the student from a dangerous situation. He also said that it was “too soon to know what prevention opportunities there may be.”
DUPD Chief John Dailey noted that the student did not report the crime directly to the police department but instead told Student Affairs. Dailey was not notified of the crime until the next morning. He said that it is common in traumatic situations to have difficulty notifying law enforcement.
Due to this incident, Dailey plans to increase police officers on campus in the coming weekends.
Two security officers currently patrol Central Campus each night, Dailey added. One moves around the Anderson and Mill Village area while another is concentrated primarily around Alexander Street. He noted that students should travel in groups and use safety measures such as the blue light system to notify police if they find themselves in a threatening situation. Dailey said that students had used those systems successfully in the past to avoid crime.
In the student’s report to the police, he described both robbers as college-aged black males. The first was around 5 feet, 10 inches tall and was wearing a blue plaid shirt and jeans. The second, who was described as wearing a black and white baseball cap and grey pants, was about 6 feet tall and had longer hair.
The second incident occurred when a suspect in a robbery that occurred off campus ran onto the golf course at the Washington Duke Inn.
The Durham Police Department received a call about an unarmed robbery at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Durham resident Brisen Porterfield, 17, stole the phone of a 16-year-old male walking along Tremont Drive and escaped in a white car driven by Cyree Watson, 18, also from Durham, Kammie Michael, DPD public information officer, wrote in an email Monday. The vehicle, which had been reported stolen, did not stop for police and was later found abandoned on Academy Road.
The officers then saw Watson on a golf cart at the Washington Duke Inn, Michael added. Watson tried to escape on the golf cart before jumping off and running into the woods. Officers eventually caught Watson in a foot chase.
Officers found Porterfield hiding in the woods.
Watson faces a total of 10 charges, including two felony counts, related to aiding the robbery, the stolen car, fleeing and resisting and theft of the golf cart. His bond was set at $20,000.
Porterfield faces three charges, related to the robbery, the stolen car and fleeing and resisting. His bond was set at $10,000.
updated 1 a.m. April 2
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