Attempted robbery leads to timely warning
The University Police Department issued a timely warning notice to the Cal State Long Beach community for a potential armed robbery on Tuesday. The attempted robbery occurred at 2 that morning at the off-campus Beachside dorms.
A male CSULB student reported that a man accosted him with what appeared to be a pistol hidden in his hoodie pocket. The suspect was pointing something through the hoodie pocket’s fabric, creating the impression of a firearm; however, Lt. Richard Goodwin of the UPD says there may not have been an actual weapon involved because no pistol was directly seen outside of the pocket.
Goodwin said the suspect acted as if he was definitely armed by pointing the potentially non-existent weapon at the victim and demanded his money. The student indicated that he had no money, and the suspect demanded to see the student’s phone. When the student pulled his phone out and showed it to the suspect, the suspect swore, then fled the scene toward Pacific Coast Highway.
The student was not harmed and none of his property was taken by the suspect. The student then contacted the Long Beach Police Department and described the suspect as a Hispanic or Black male wearing a black hoodie and jeans, with a visible tattoo under his hoodie on his stomach, though they could provide little information as to what the tattoo said.
“There was no physical altercation between the two,” Goodwin said. “It was that [the suspect] made the impression of a gun in his pocket – no gun was seen. It was the hand in the pocket like they do in the movies.”
Goodwin said that the case was under ongoing investigation, and encouraged any member of the CSULB faculty or student body to call the UPD at either (562)985-4101 to speak directly to the department or (562)986-5131 to leave an anonymous tip.
Positive vandalism in parking lot
Graffiti with a positive message was reported to the UPD as being on the east side of the third floor of Parking Structure 3 in the early afternoon Thursday. The message was written in blue and black spray paint and read “Love Life.”
“Well, of all the graffiti we’ve seen over the past few weeks, this is a bit different,” Goodwin said.
Campus facilities management was contacted to clean it up and removed it before Spring Break ended.
Truck robbed off campus
The UPD assisted the LBPD on a petty theft call that occurred near campus on Thursday. A Toyota Tundra was robbed at 1810 Tevis Avenue, across the street from the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, sometime overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, Goodwin said. A pair of work boots, work gloves and a large blue plastic container were stolen from the truck.
No charges pressed in library assault allegation
A woman reported an assault and battery after being followed from the CSULB library to her car on the night of March 27. The female victim stated that a male was bothering her inside the library, and when the library closed, the male followed the woman to her car. After a conversation near her car, the victim reported that the man attempted to hug and kiss her before she turned away and then left the scene.
Later that evening, the woman reported the crime to the LA County Sheriff’s office, who contacted the UPD. Goodwin stated that the case was under investigation but could not reveal much more information other than the fact that UPD had identified the male suspect, and that the female victim was declining to press charges.