A City College student was robbed at 7:30 p.m. yesterday Oct. 17 on the staircase down to Pershing Park.

A Hispanic male approached the student to ask for a lighter for his cigarette and proceeded to grab the victim by the shoulders. Then three other males, two Hispanics and one Caucasian, moved the victim to the landing between the first and second set of wooden stairs. Suspects robbed the victim of his shoulder bag then ran down the stairs to the dirt path and disappeared.

The victim was not injured but the bag contained his wallet that had $900 in it. This type of robbery is considered a ‘strong-arm’ robbery; meaning no weapons were involved, just physical intimidation.

“We have two officers that patrol in the evening,” said Erik Fricke, director of campus security. “Their route is to do a continuous patrol of the cement and wooden stairs, the dirt path and the fire road that leads from Humanities [Building] to Pershing.”

There are also eight different surveillance cameras at the entrance and exit of the path to Pershing Park. The cameras record 24-hrs but are not live-monitor cameras. Security was unable to find any footage showing the incident.

“We’re hoping that the police will observe the video recordings,” said Fricke. “There is the hope that they will be able to find footage of the suspects.”

The path down to Pershing Park is the most isolated area on campus. There was a similar incident in that same area five years ago.

“We are aware that it is a vulnerable area,” said Fricke.

There are signs at the entrance and exit of the pathway that state students should always walk in pairs.

“We’re not going to always be able to prevent crimes from taking place,” said Fricke. “But we feel that with the officers patrolling and the lighting we provide that it helps prevent crimes.”

There are bright orange warning signs all around campus. The college sent out a timely campus wide warning through email and posted it around campus “to alert the college community that a crime took place and people need to be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity.”

If anyone has information regarding this incident please contact Campus Security at 730-4200 or Santa Barbara Police Department (911).

Campus Security encourages students to be aware of their surroundings, always stay in pairs, and have a cell phone ready for use in case of emergencies. If you need a Security escort, please call the Security Office at 730-4200.