CLEVELAND, Ohio — Four people, including two students, were robbed on the Cleveland State University campus in a 12-day span, school officials said.
The robberies, which officials believe are unrelated, all happened between Jan. 25 and Feb. 5. One arrest was made in the Feb. 5 robbery but no one else has been arrested in connection with the crimes.
Cleveland State President Ronald Berkman said in a Monday email to students, faculty and staff that the school is increasing police patrols around campus in a response to the recent uptick in robberies.
He said campus police Chief Gary Lewis analyzed the patterns and adjusted the shifts officers are working in order to provide extra protection during the times when the robberies have happened.
Cleveland police and RTA police will also offer additional patrols near campus, Berkman’s email says.
The school will soon be using a “state-of-the-art” surveillance system called SkyWatch Tower that will help police watch for and deter crimes in campus parking lots. The school got the equipment through a partnership with Ohio Homeland Security and Cleveland police, Berkman’s email says.
The first robbery happened about 7:20 p.m. Jan. 24. A student reported he was walking from class to his car in a lot on East 36th Street and Euclid Avenue when a group of four or five men yelled at him, school officials said.
A man pointed a gun at the student and fired one shot. The student dropped a bag containing his wallet, laptop computer and books before he jumped in his car and drove off.
The student was not harmed.
On Feb. 3, another Cleveland State student was walking to his car about 12:20 a.m. on East 21st Street and Carnegie Avenue when a man walked up to him and threatened him with a screwdriver, school officials said.
The robber stole the student’s cellphone and wallet, then ran off.
About 10 p.m. Feb. 5, five men approached a 38-year-old man who was walking his 40-year-old girlfriend to her job on Chester Avenue. Neither are affiliated with the school.
The group pistol-whipped the man in the head, knocking him to the ground. The group ordered the couple to empty their pockets and pistol-whipped the man a second time, police said.
One of the robbers pointed a gun at the woman’s face and punched her in the head when she tried to knock the gun from his hand. The robbers ran off. The couple was treated at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.
Police later arrested Jonah Shropshire, 19, in connection with the incident. He is charged with aggravated robbery. Investigators are still trying to identify the other robbers.
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