By Jade Mardirosian
Staff Writer
An armed robbery occurred at around 8:10 a.m. Wednesday at the La Mirage apartments, close to Baylor campus. The victim in the robbery was not injured and is not a Baylor student.
Baylor Police Chief Jim Doak said there is reason to believe the suspect in this robbery is the same person responsible for the four armed robberies that occurred near campus on Oct. 15, Oct. 24, Oct. 27 and Oct. 30.
“[There are] many reasons to believe he is the same,” Doak said. “[There are] very similar descriptions; in fact this victim was very observant and provided more face detail to officers than we have had previously, since the other [robberies] occurred at night and this was the first time in the daytime.”
The suspect is described as a black male, 5’8”, in his mid-20s with a goatee beard or mustache. Wednesday he was seen wearing a black-gray jacket and blue jeans.
Doak said the robbery was initially reported to Waco police, but Baylor police officers heard it over the police radio and responded to the scene.
“We did flood the area with seven of our officers in vehicles and on bike,” Doak said. “Waco units came in as well. We had a lot of coverage in the area in a hurry. The victim didn’t call the police for five to six minutes, so the guy had plenty of time to escape.”
Doak said Baylor police continue to patrol the area of the robbery, which occurred at 909 Baylor Ave. After the robbery, the suspect was seen on Baylor Avenue headed west toward 10th Street.
“Our officers, as we speak, continue to scour the area looking for anything, including items that were taken from the victim that may reappear,” Doak said.
Doak explained that the suspect, who they believe is involved in five armed robberies near campus, is looking for cash. Doak said that robberies cannot be predicted, but students should be cautious of their surroundings at all times and alert Baylor police if they are the victim of a robbery.