A Syracuse University student approaching the corner of Comstock Avenue and Waverly Avenue was threatened and pushed back and forth by four males on Sept. 11 at 7:15 p.m., according to an SU Campus Safety Alert.

The four males asked the victim what he was carrying in his bag and did not appear to have a weapon, the alert stated. The incident continued until the males took off in a black Chevrolet Impala after a community member approached the altercation.

The student did not lose any of his possessions and was not injured, according to the alert.

Sgt. Tom Connellan of the Syracuse Police Department could not be reached for comment.

Public Safety Officer Carl Hawley said he did not know of any updates after the campus alert e-mail was sent out, but did say Public Safety has five investigators on the case, along with help from the Syracuse Police.

‘People have to be safe, it’s the same thing we say all year,’ Hawley said. ‘When I was in college, we used the buddy system. Even when you’re at a party, you have someone to take care of you.’

There are always going to be situations where people will not have control and there’s nothing that they can do, Hawley said.

‘(Syracuse) is a highly populated area with a lot of people walking around,’ Hawley said. ‘The streets are busy, so walk behind another group of students. Use common sense kind of things.’

Because the university and the city’s population are so dense, officers have a lot of area to cover and have many duties, Hawley said.

‘To saturate an area with a (police) car on every block is not realistic,’ Hawley said. ‘We understand the concern and don’t want victims. For the area and the amount of people, it’s a lot of coverage.’

Published on September 12, 2006 at 12:00 pm