Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor
By Jade Mardirosian
Staff Writer
Baylor and Waco police are investigating the seventh armed robbery since Oct. 15 in the area surrounding Baylor’s campus. The latest robbery occurred around 10:35 p.m. Monday at Twelfth Street and Baylor Avenue.
The suspect in the robbery fits a similar description from previous robberies and was described as a black male in his mid-to-late 20s, with a small beard and dressed in dark clothing.
Baylor Police Chief Jim Doak said Monday’s robbery was very similar to the other robberies that have happened in the same area over the past month and could possibly involve the same suspects from those robberies.
“It is certainly possible [the robberies are connected]; there is no way to absolutely know for sure,” Doak said. “The line-ups are being shown. It is just too difficult to tell.”
Doak said the number of robberies that have occurred around campus in this span of time is unprecedented.
“To have this number is quite significant and it is a small location — [all of the robberies] are isolated to a certain area,” Doak said.
Officers investigating these robberies are losing a significant amount of time finding suspects because the victims have not been calling the police immediately to report incidents, Doak said.
“We want to encourage students if they find themselves victim of a crime, any crime, to call the police first before they start calling others,” Doak said. “We are losing a lot of time because people call others before we get the police rolling on it. We have had that happen at least three or four times in this series of events and that is disappointing because you lose so much of an opportunity to move in the area quickly.”
Baylor police can be contacted at 254-710-2222 or through the emergency call boxes on campus.