A female student was allegedly held at gunpoint on the west side of campus near Stubbs Hall on Tuesday night, and no suspects have been arrested. LSU Police Department responded to a 9:15 p.m. report Tuesday from a female student who said she was robbed at gunpoint, according to Capt. Russell Roge, LSUPD spokesman. Roge said the victim reported being approached by two suspects she described as male juveniles. The suspects brandished a gun and demanded the victim’s wallet. The victim said only one suspect was armed, and the weapon appeared to be a semi-automatic handgun. LSUPD officers recovered the victim’s keys a short distance from the crime scene. Detectives are currently investigating the robbery and will release more information as it becomes available. No new information was available by press time, and no suspects have been identified, according to Maj. Lawrence Rabalais, LSUPD spokesman. Roge said there is no evidence to suggest the robbery is connected to a Jan. 4 incident also involving two male, juvenile suspects who robbed a student outside Troy H. Middleton Library. Despite the lack of evidence, Rabalais said LSUPD is investigating the previous crime’s suspects for possible connections to Tuesday’s armed robbery. “Right now, we’re working to see if there is any tie to those same two [suspects from the previous crime] or possibly a group of their friends,” Rabalais said. During the Jan. 4 incident, LSUPD responded to a 5:56 p.m. call from a University student reporting he was robbed at gunpoint by two male suspects, Roge said. The suspects, both of whom were reportedly armed, allegedly stole items from the victim, including his cell phone. As the suspects were leaving the crime scene, one suspect threw the victim’s cell phone back to him, at which point the victim reported the incident to LSUPD. LSUPD conducted a preliminary investigation and found no suspects at that time, Roge said. The victim was again in Middleton Library Jan. 7 at 6:30 p.m. and noticed the two suspects entering the building. The victim called LSUPD to report their presence. Upon responding to the call, LSUPD apprehended the two suspects and recovered a black, plastic toy gun from from each of the suspects, Roge said. The incident resulted in the arrest of the two juveniles, ages 14 and 15. Both were changed with second degree robbery and booked into East Baton Rouge juvenile detention center. Roge said students walking alone on campus at night should do so with extreme caution and should be aware of their surroundings.
—-Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected]