A SUNY Buffalo State student was robbed at knife point Tuesday evening on campus. University Police said a female student walking between two complexes before 9-o'clock was approached by two suspects who had a knife.
"It took place between 8:50 and 9 p.m. last night in the area of Upton Hall and Bulger Communications," stated Police Chief Peter Carey. "She was grabbed from behind and spun around and there were two males standing there, one holding a knife."
They demanded her property. She gave the suspects her jacket, which police later recovered. The student was not hurt.
"The suspect searched the jacket for property in it. There was none in it. They threw the jacket to the ground and fled the area," said Chief Carey.
This is the fourth criminal incident since the start of the semester. Earlier this month, a student was stabbed and another student was charged. Two armed men with a knife and semi-automatic pistol also robbed a student and another student was charged with an alleged sexual assault of a female student inside a dorm room.
But Buffalo State Police Chief Peter Carey tells WBFO News campus crime numbers are similar over the past three years.
"While we're in the midst of a clear spike of criminal activity in a short period of time, if you look at our crime stats over the last three years, and what we've seen already this year, we're not much different then what we have been the three years and somewhat into the fourth year in 2015. We are just getting it in a short period of time,' noted Chief Carey.
Chief Carey tells us they're working to set up a town hall meeting to talk with the campus community on improving campus safety.
Patrols have been increased on campus.
The search continues for the two suspects in Tuesday night's robbery. The suspects are described as:
Suspect #1 - A black male, approximately 5'9" tall, wearing dark hoodie, sweatpants, armed with a knife.
Suspect #2 - A black male, wearing dark hoodie, sweatpants, and a knit cap.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call University Police at (716) 878-6333 or the University Police Confidential Tip Line at (716) 878-3166.
