April 02, 2012

Campus Safety Alert

The Southern Illinois University Carbondale Department of Public Safety is investigating an aggravated battery that occurred Friday, March 30, in a parking lot on the northeast corner of Douglas Drive and Oakland Avenue, just across from the north edge of campus lake.

The incident occurred at 4:02 a.m. and involved two 19-year-old SIU Carbondale students.  The victims told police they had parked their car when three males on BMX-style bicycles approached.  After a brief conversation one of the suspects, a Hispanic male, sprayed a chemical believed to be pepper spray in one victim’s face.  The victim was then struck by all three suspects in an ensuing struggle.   The second victim was also sprayed in the face but ran away and called police.

The two victims declined medical treatment at the scene.

One of the suspects was described as a Hispanic male in his early 20s, possibly wearing light plaid knee-length shorts and a tan shirt.  A second suspect was described by victims as a black male wearing a black Chicago White Sox hat.  There was no clothing description for a third suspect, also a black male.

The three suspects were last seen going westbound on Douglas Drive.

Anyone with information about the incident should call the SIU Carbondale Department of Public Safety at 618/453-3771 or the Crime Stopper Line at 618/549-COPS.

Police advise members of the campus community to be aware of their surroundings at all times, and if traveling at night to use the Saluki Express, Night Safety Transit Service and Brightway Path.  In addition, emergency call phones are located across campus, including on both overpasses.

For more information on safety precautions, visit the Department of Public Safety website at http://www.dps.siu.edu/.