UW students terrified after several on-campus armed robberies

UW students concerned after 2 armed robberies on campus

University of Washington Police are asking for the community's help to solve two violent robberies that happened on-campus over the weekend.

SEATTLE - University of Washington Police are asking for the community's help to solve two violent robberies that happened on campus over the weekend.

Police report that on Friday around 6:20 p.m. near Sieg Hall, two men armed with a gun grabbed a victim and tried to steal their cell phone. The suspects wore dark-colored hoodies and a face mask with shark teeth.

Reports say the two suspects fled toward Drumheller Fountain.

The next incident happened about 72 hours later.

Police reported that on Monday around 6:20 p.m. at Drumheller Fountain, two men threatened to shoot a victim and stole their cell phone. The suspects took off running toward Rainier Vista.

Police believe both of these incidents could be connected.

"I thought it was honestly pretty terrifying, because it was right here on main campus," said Malik Weldeab, a senior at the University of Washington.

FOX 13 News spoke to several other students who had similar concerns.

"If a gun is going to be pointed at me, I’m not going to be coming here at night," said Enrique Correa-Mendez, a freshman at UW.

FOX 13 News discovered this is not the first series of robberies impacting the campus this month.

On May 12, police say there was an armed robbery just off campus around 9:30 a.m. at NE 43rd St and Brooklyn Ave NE. Reports say the suspect pulled a gun out and stole $22 from the victim.

About 12 hours later, outside of Poplar Hall, there was another robbery. Reports say the suspect kicked a student and stole a cellphone, headphones, and a lanyard.

In both incidents, the suspects were described as a man and a woman. Police believe these two robberies may be connected.

Students say they no longer feel safe on campus.

"Why haven’t you increased security on campus, because as of right now, and just in general, it’s like a safety issue at this point," said Camille Fischer, a freshman at UW.

UW Police tell FOX 13 News they have increased patrols, specifically around the evening, when the recent robberies happened.

UW Chief of Police, Craig Wilson, says they are looking for pictures or video of the suspects. They ask anyone with information to contact the non-emergency line (206) 685-8973.

The university provides safety resources for students, faculty, and staff to get around campus at night.