Two Armed Robberies Occur Off-Campus Sunday Night

A Duke University student and an employee reported being robbed in separate incidents at apartment complexes off LaSalle Street, north of the Duke campus, Sunday night.

Neither victim was injured.

The graduate student reported to Durham Police that he walking near the Poplar West Apartments on Louise Circle around 7 p.m. when he was approached by a man who displayed a handgun. The student gave the gunman his wallet, cell phone and iPod.

About three hours later, a Duke employee told police that he and his wife were walking up to their Poplar Manor Apartment on Lambeth Circle when a man with a gun robbed him of his wallet.

The same man is suspected of committing both crimes. He is described as a black man, 5-feet 8 inches tall, who was wearing a black coat with brown fur trim, black pants and white sneakers. He also wore a bandana, which was described as being either black or black-and-white. In response to these and other off-campus crimes, including the shooting death of a graduate student on Anderson Street Friday, Duke Police, along with Durham Police, are increasing their patrols of areas near the campus. University officials are reviewing safety measures on- and off-campus in response to the recent incidents, said Aaron Graves, associate vice president for campus safety and security.

"The Duke Police Department is extremely concerned about the type and frequencies of crimes that the Duke community has experienced recently and we will intensify our efforts to keep our students, faculty, staff, patients and guests safe," Graves said. "We will deploy existing resources to the best of our ability and add additional resources where necessary to accomplish this critical objective."

Anyone with information about the robberies is asked to call Duke Police at (919) 684-2444 or CrimeStoppers at (919) 683-1200.