Washington Student Abducted, Forced to Withdraw from ATMs
ByA 23-year-old student of Washington University in St.Louis, was reportedly abducted and forced to drive around ATMs to withdraw money Tuesday night, reports NewsChannel 5.
Washington University has issued a 'crime alert' email and has promised that the campus police will increase the overtime patrol in and around the area where the alleged abduction took place. But currently, the university website's emergency status remains normal.
According to the email obtained by the Channel, the female student told the police, that she was approached by a man at 9:40 p.m. as she got into car in the Snow Way Garage on the north side of Washington University's Danforth Campus. The man allegedly threatened her with a knife and forced her to drive him to various banks across the city to withdraw cash from her account.
He eventually said to have got out of the car in St.Louis and fled. The victim reported the incident to police around 1 a.m. Wednesday, after she drove back to her residence. According to the police, she said she did not see a knife, but complied with his demands when he said he had one.
The police are investigating the reported robbery and abduction. The woman was not harmed in any way.
According to Washington University Police Sgt. Mark Glenn, the suspect forced the woman to drive around for about an hour and she is hazy on details when asked about the time he got out of the car. But, police are still trying to trace the timeline and banks they visited, reports St.Louis Post Dispatch.
The police have a description of the suspect and the university's alert says he is an African-American man in his late teens or early 20s.
Campus police believe that the suspect walked onto the campus from Big Bend just minutes before the robbery took place.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Washington University Police Department at 314-935-5555 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.