NEWS

Student reports assault, robbery;
police offer safety tips

CHAPEL HILL – A male University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student has reported being assaulted and robbed early this morning (March 30) near Ehringhaus Residence Hall on the southern campus.

The student received minor injuries; no weapon was involved, UNC police said.

Four black males with dark complexions approached the victim at around 1:30 a.m. near Ehringhaus, located off Manning Drive, police said. The assailants struck and kicked the victim, took his cell phone, keys and a small amount of cash before fleeing on foot.

The assailants all are described as being more than six-feet tall with medium builds and in their late teens or early 20s, police said. They all wore blue jeans, dark hooded sweatshirts and navy blue bandanas covering the lower portions of their faces.

UNC police ask anyone with information in connection with the case to call the department at 962-8100.

Public safety officials urged the university community practice to use caution and follow the following safety tips.

· Don't walk alone at night. Use the buddy system. Walk in well-lit areas of campus.

· Report suspicious activity by calling 911 or by using emergency call boxes across campus.

· Use UNC's Point-to-Point express service, free to students, operating between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. nightly. Access UNC's free Point-to-Point demand service by calling 962-7867 (962-P-TO-P) and providing your UNC personal identification number. The service is available at night to UNC students, faculty and staff at locations not served by the P2P Express Route or after normal P2P Express service hours.

· Use Chapel Hill Transit, free to all passengers. Web site: www.chtransit.org

· Use the free Safe Ride Program, serving parts of campus, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro from 11:15 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Web site: www.unc.edu/saferide.

· For more information, click to www.dps.unc.edu

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Public safety contact: Randy Young, (919) 962-1502
News Services contact: Mike McFarland, (919) 962-8593