OFF-CAMPUS LIFE Off-Campus Crimes Hit Georgetown By Arianne Aryanpur Hoya Staff Writer
A male Georgetown student was robbed Saturday morning, and another student sustained a minor injury after being assaulted Sunday evening in the Georgetown vicinity, the Department of Public Safety said yesterday.
“The matter is still under investigation,” DPS Officer David Bledsoe said. He said the incidents were unusual in their proximity to campus and the times of day they had occurred.
On Saturday around 7 a.m., a Georgetown student reported that while riding his bicycle in the vicinity of 37th and Prospect Streets, he was approached by a maroon-colored mini van, according to DPS. The vehicle’s three occupants struck the subject, knocking him from his bicycle. After he dismounted, the three assailants reportedly punched and kicked the student and took his wallet.
The contents of the wallet included $20 and the subject’s Visa and bankcards, an e-mail to the university community said. After stealing his cellular phone, the assailants departed in the van, the report said.
The student said he rode his bike to McDonough Gymnasium where he called the Department of Public Safety and the Metropolitan Police Department. The report said he declined medical attention.
“Most student-related burglaries in the past year have occurred in the Burleith area, so it is interesting that more are occurring in the Georgetown vicinity,” ANC 2E Commissioner Justin Wagner (COL ’03) said.
Another report filed Sunday said that a student was assaulted on Sunday while walking the 1400 block of 36th Street. According to the e-mail, a man yelled a profanity at the subject and then punched him in the face, causing an injury that required stitches to his lower lip. The student said he called a friend from his cellular phone and was taken to the emergency room at the Georgetown University Hospital.
DPS was unable to gather evidence after officers scanned the areas, DPS Sergeant Gilbert Bussey said in a broadcast e-mail to the university.
“We haven’t noticed a trend in the number of crimes increasing in the general vicinity,” Bledsoe said. He added that he believed the events of this past weekend were “isolated incidents.”
DPS is making its presence much more “visible” in the areas where the crimes were reported, Bledsoe said; officers are now patrolling the neighborhoods in cruisers as opposed to on foot.
“I think the unfortunate aspect of living in Washington, D.C., is that we have crime, and that you have to keep on the lookout,” Wagner said.
This year, four crimes have occurred in the Georgetown vicinity. Suspects involved in last year’s incidents around M Street and Wisconsin Avenue were arrested at the end of February or early arch, Bledsoe said.
“Crime has improved, but people do need to take certain safety precautions,” Wagner said. “Unfortunately, as vigilant as people are, there are always windows of opportunity for crime in the area.”
Wagner reiterated the importance of walking with someone after dark, regardless of one’s gender or location.
“Walk with a group,” Bledsoe advised. “Use SafeRides. Most of all, be aware of your surroundings and trust your instincts.”