A Georgetown graduate student was allegedly robbed at gunpoint by three men last Friday at 6:10 p.m., less than a block from the Lauinger Library steps.

The victim, who wished to remain anonymous, said he was walking on the 3600 block of N Street from Lauinger Library to the Car Barn when a man approached him on the sidewalk.

“The first man said, `Hey man’ – something like that – to get my attention,” the victim said.

The victim said that after he turned around to acknowledge the remark, the assailant pointed a silver handgun in his face.

Two other men then crossed N Street and approached the victim.

“They asked me to turn around, so I slowly turned around, and they took my belongings,” the student said.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department incident report, the suspects stole the student’s IBM laptop, his Commerce Bank card and $50 in cash. MPD estimated the value of the stolen property at $750.

The victim said in the incident report that the suspect who produced the gun was a black male in his 20s, about 6 feet tall and approximately 180 pounds, according to the incident report. The suspect was wearing a black jacket and dark pants.

The student described the other two suspects as black males in their 20s, both about 5 feet 10 inches tall. He said they were wearing dark coats and dark pants.

The student said that while he still feels relatively safe at Georgetown, he was shocked that an armed robbery could occur so close to campus.

“I never expected that kind of incident here,” he said. “I hope something will be done to make things better … to prevent any other incidents near the school.”

Doris Bey, associate director of the Georgetown Department of Public Safety, said that DPS has increased the number of patrols in the area since the incident.

“The Department of Public Safety is providing special attention to this location and has increased patrol in the area. DPS and [MPD] are canvassing the area,” she said.

MPD has increased manpower in Police Service Area 206, which includes Georgetown, over the past three months, said MPD Second District Officer Barbara Cromer. She said the increase included additional Special Operation Division officers, who specifically target crime hot spots.

“They have enough officers in that area,” she said.

MPD Second District Lt. Roland Hoyle said that reports of robberies on and around the Georgetown campus are relatively rare.

Hoyle said, however, that armed robberies are more likely to occur now than at other times of the year.

“Those types of strong-armed robberies could occur at any time, but they normally don’t,” he said. “They tend to happen during the holiday season.”

Bey also said such incidents tend to occur more frequently in the late fall.

“Unfortunately, this type of crime historically tends to increase during this time of year, as it becomes darker earlier and because people tend to become distracted during the holiday seasons,” she said.

Hoyle said the frequency of armed robberies in Georgetown has not increased in recent years and that the total number of armed robberies from year to year is somewhat unpredictable.

“It’s like predicting hurricanes,” he said, explaining that a year without robberies may be followed by one in which many occur.

Hoyle added that incidents like Friday’s rarely escalate.

“They really never end up turning into a deadly shooting,” he said.

Nevertheless, Hoyle advised that students be more alert after dark.

“Anytime, if you’re by yourself at night and you’re out there walking, you better make sure you’re aware of your surroundings,” he said.

MPD has not identified the suspects but is currently investigating the incident.