Posted 11:16 a.m. | Updated April 14, 09:45 a.m.: The suspects apprehended by the LAPD on Wednesday are not connected to the thefts at USC.
Police arrested suspects Wednesday possibly in connection to robberies in the North University Park Monday night.
The cell phones of three USC students were stolen from their person in quick succession on three different streets. Each of the robberies involved a male student walking alone. The suspects were described as Hispanic men in their late teens an early twenties.
Captain David Carlisle of USC's Department of Public Safety talks about important ways to keep safe in the North University Park area. (Video by Jeremy Chen)
The suspects were armed with metal bars and possibly a handgun stashed in the suspect’s waistband, according to USC’s Department of Public Safety.
The suspects are being held at the Hollywood division of the Los Angeles Police Department. At this point everything surrounding the arrests is preliminary but there is no evidence the robberies were gang related.
In spite of the recent string of robberies, crime in the neighborhoods surrounding USC, violent crime continues decline for the fourth year. Robberies are down 33 percent, according to Captain David Carlisle of DPS.
DPS sent out a Trojan Alert late Tuesday night.
Students react to the robbers capture and DPS. (Video by Jeremy Chen)
Curtis Moses, a USC freshman and music industry major, feels reassured when he gets a Trojan Alert.
“When you’re on campus, sometime you lose sight, you know, that you’re in the real world,and real things happen” Moses said.
Junior engineering student Jessica Jones said she was “impressed” with DPS and their response to the crimes.
“As a walker, I’ve never felt unsafe,” Jones said.
She has no standing complaint against DPS but does believe they could have done better with notifying students about a shooting on 29th street involving a non-USC student.
Moses believes DPS is very effective and that he feels “very safe.”
