A HawkWatch alert was sent to the campus community on Oct. 29 after four students reported being chased by an unknown male near campus. A follow-up alert was sent on Oct. 30 stating the police do not believe there is any threat to the community.
According to the initial university-wide alert, the students stated they were leaving Starbucks on the 500 block of East Third Street around 12:58 p.m. when they heard a male voice yell “Run!” They told police the male chased them on Fillmore Street, the Greenway, and south on Polk Street to Fourth Street, and the initial alert provided a detailed description of the male.
The follow-up alert states the man was identified via video footage and interviewed, and it was determined he had a different perception of the events than the students.
“The man told police he yelled at the students when he thought they were in danger of being hit by a nearby vehicle,” the university wrote in the follow-up alert.
While running away, one of the student’s slippers fell off, and according to the follow-up alert, video footage supported the man’s statement that he briefly followed the students in an attempt to return their lost items.
“No physical contact or assault occurred,” the alert reads.
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