Off-Campus Armed Robberies

  • Incident date: September 11, 2013, 2:00 am
  • Incident type: null
  • Location/address: 1600 Block of Adams Street

On Wednesday, September 11, at approximately 2:00 a.m., City of Madison Police responded to a home on the 1600 block of Adams Street after an armed robbery. According to Madison Police, a female UW-Madison student was shutting her front door when she noticed a man on the front porch – she yelled to her roommate to call police, as she tried to hold the screen door shut. The suspect pointed a handgun at her, demanded money, and pushed his way into the home. The suspect eventually fled with a laptop computer.

The suspect is described as an African-American male, 18-20 years old, 5’5” and thin build, wearing dark shoes, blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a dark nylon mask.

This is the third armed robbery in the area surrounding the UW-Madison campus in the last week – on Sunday, three UW students were robbed at gunpoint in their apartment in the 1200 block of Vilas Ave; last Tuesday two UW students were robbed at gunpoint while in their driveway on the 1900 block of University Avenue. It’s believed the three incidents could be related.

Madison Police continue to investigate the crimes listed above. If you have any information, call Madison Area Crime Stoppers at (608) 266-6014. Callers can remain anonymous.

UWPD reminds the campus community – on and off-campus – to always be focused on personal safety, even when indoors. Have a safety plan in place if someone forces their way into your home, and use the following guidelines:

  • Never resist giving up your property when confronted by an individual with a weapon.
  • Always keep your doors and windows locked – even if you’re home.
  • Don’t prop open exterior doors, and don’t buzz people you don’t know into a building.
  • Be wary of people who don’t appear to belong in the area.
  • If you feel uncomfortable confronting a person who you believe is following you into a residence hall, alert your hall staff, a house fellow, or call UW-Madison Police.