A College of William and Mary student was robbed at knife-point in the parking lot of the Governor’s Inn Sunday, adding one more incident to the list of recent robberies.
The robbery occurred at 12:30 p.m., less than five minutes away from the Williamsburg Police Department in the 500 block of N. Henry St.
“This incident is especially troubling as it occurred in the middle of the day on a busy weekend, just a few blocks from the local police department,” Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler ’88, Ph.D. ’06 said in a campus-wide email Monday.
Williamsburg police have opened an investigation into the robbery, noting also that it contributes another incident to the trend that has developed this past year.
“We’ve seen a lot more robberies this year,” Williamsburg City Police Major Greg Riley said.
Riley affirmed that the Williamsburg Police office has noticed an increasing trend in crime but did not point to any particular cause for the increase.
“I’m sure there’s ton of reasons,” Riley said. “The biggest problem is that the criminals don’t cooperate with the police in scheduling their crimes.”
According to the police report, three African-American males and one white male approached the victim who had been walking in the N. Henry Street and Lafayette Avenue area.
“One of the subjects presented a knife,” the report read. “The subjects took the victim’s book bag.”
All suspects were described by the Williamsburg police to be between 19 and 25 years old. The subjects left on foot after claiming the student’s book bag, leaving the victim unharmed.
“While we cannot fully insulate ourselves from the acts of criminals, it is helpful to remember those measures we can take to increase our level of personal safety,” Ambler said in an email. “Whenever possible, it is wise to travel with others, particularly after dark.”