The Nevada Sagebrush

Note: This story was updated at 4 p.m. and will continue to be edited throughout the day when more information is obtained.

Click here for a PDF of the campus safety alert e-mail.

Two men were robbed at gunpoint within five minutes of each other near campus last night, according to the University of Nevada, Reno Police Department. Police are searching for up to five suspects in the crimes.

A UNR student was robbed and pistol whipped at a parking lot on Center and Ninth streets. About five minutes later, another man, not a university student, was robbed near the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house. When the victim tried to follow the suspects, he was shot at five times and hit once in the hip while near Seventh and Valley streets, according to press releases from UNRPD and the Reno Police Department. The victim was transported to Renown Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.

The student victim, a 22-year-old male, was transported to Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center where he was treated for minor injuries and released, UNRPD Director Adam Garcia said.

RPD Lt. Mike Whan said he did not have more information on the suspects.

“Our information there is pretty vague,” Whan said.

Suspects in the second robbery may be injured, according to a Reno Police Department press release.

The first incident happened at about 12:15 a.m., according to a campus safety alert, which was e-mailed to students shortly after 8 a.m. Police also sent a text message to students, telling them to check their e-mails for safety information.

Trenton Arlint, president of SAE, said the e-mail was the first he and other members of the fraternity heard of the incident. He said the fraternity will take extra precautions, such as doubling up when walking around at night. He wasn’t surprised by the incident, however.

“This is Reno,” Arlint said. “If we didn’t expect things like this, we wouldn’t be in Reno.”

He said UNRPD does a “really good job” of protecting students but incidents like the robberies can’t always be stopped.

“This stuff happens on every campus and you just have to deal with it,” he said.

Arlint said the robberies don’t change his outlook on campus safety at all.

Police are encouraging anyone with information on the robberies or the shooting should contact them or the secret witness line at 775-322-4900. Secret witness is offering a $2,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the suspects.

“We have had a number of people call and give information about the case, and we are following up on those,” Garcia said.

Nick Coltrain contributed to this report. Jay Balagna can be reached at jbalagna@nevadasagebrush.com.

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