Dear Ohio State Community Member:
You are receiving this notice because a crime has occurred that is considered to be of a concern and/or a continuing threat to the campus community.
The purpose of this message is to heighten your safety awareness by providing community members with information necessary to take appropriate precautions, enable you to take actions to help increase your safety, and to aid in the prevention of similar crimes.
On 4/12/16, at approximately 11:53 p.m., an on-campus robbery occurred on the west side of Bowen House, located at 2125 N. High Street. A male student reported he was walking back to his residence facility when he was approached by four black males between the ages of 14 and 17. According to the reporting student, one suspect asked to borrow his phone. Moments later, one suspect appeared to be talking on the phone when a second suspect surprised the student and punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. The suspects then ran northbound with the stolen phone, crossed Lane Avenue and continued north on High Street. Nearby witnesses later stated the four suspects had been seen shortly before the robbery inside Bowen House, after being let in by bystanders, but were asked to leave.
The suspects were described as being between the ages of 14 and 17 with the following characteristics:
- Suspect No. 1: Light skinned black male wearing a black jacket and black pants.
- Suspect No. 2: Dark skinned black male wearing a light blue hoodie with white pants and white shoes.
- Suspect No. 3: Black male wearing a moss green semi-puffy jacket, faded pants with some sort of design on the rear pockets.
- Suspect No. 4: Young black male wearing a black hoodie with a white Nike logo and black sweat pants.
The safety of our campus community is our top priority and OSU Police is actively investigating. We remind you not to let unknown persons into residence facilities and if you see something suspicious, say something immediately: call University Police at 614-292-2121 or Columbus Police at 614-645-4545. Always call 9-1-1 in emergencies.
We encourage you to increase your overall safety by being cautious and looking out for one another; being aware of your surroundings and looking assertive; walking with a trusted friend or co-worker, when possible; if a situation makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, choose an alternative. Please utilize transportation services, when possible, and take advantage of our additional safety resources, such as the Student Safety Service Safe Ride program: https://dps.osu.edu/safe-ride