BEREA, Ohio — Baldwin Wallace University issued a warning to students after two students were robbed at gunpoint near campus on Labor Day.
On Tuesday, the university said police believe the individuals from last night's robberies have left the area and there is no warning issued for Berea or campus. Classes may proceed as scheduled.
The first robbery happened to a student who said she was walking when two men approached her in the 130 block of Seminary Street at around 8:30 p.m.
Two men allegedly came around the corner from East Grand Street and shoved her in the bushes, knocking her to the ground. The woman said one of the men told her “Give me all you have” while the other put a pistol to her head, the report states.
The two men took her keys, a yellow and blue pin, a bottle of Gatorade and her earbuds. Police later located her keys, pin and earbud case at the scene.
The student told police she immediately ran south toward her dorm on Beech Street.
The second robbery happened just before 9:00 p.m. to another student who was carjacked in the Giant Eagle parking lot on Bridge Avenue.
The student told police she was sitting in her vehicle in the Baldwin Wallace overflow student parking lot near Giant Eagle when she noticed two males in the parking lot, but didn’t think anything of it.
She was on her phone and without her noticing, the two men came to her car and opened her door, with one of them saying “get out or I will shoot you.”
She got out of the car when the two males jumped in, taking her cell phone with them. She told police it appeared the two males didn’t know how to use the vehicle.
The two males headed east on West Center Street.
Inside the stolen vehicle were dorm keys, house keys, her iPhone, two credit cards, one debit card, an Ohio and BW card, miscellaneous clothing and about $500 in cash, according to the report.
The victim’s phone was pinged in the area of Baldwin Lake and Mill Stream Run area. It was pinged a second time but was shut off at the point, the report states.
One of the robbers who had the handgun was described as a male between 16 and 20 years old, wearing a black hoodie and a red face mask.
The second male, described as the one to open the door, was between 16 to 20 years, with brown eyes and described as being skinny. He was wearing a green camo hoodie, dark jogger pants and a colorful red face mask.
After the two robberies, BW president Bob Helmer released the following statement:
While the Berea police work to complete their investigation, it is important that we all continue to exercise caution overnight.
We keep our two students in our thoughts and prayers as they were emotionally shaken from their ordeals. Evenings like this remind us all that what makes our university such a special place is our BW community.
