Student blocked by car in attempted robbery near Bell Museum

A University of Minnesota student was targeted in an on-campus robbery attempt late Sunday night on Church Street SE, in front of the Bell Museum of Natural History. According to a campus crime alert, the student was walking on the sidewalk at about 11:45 p.m. when a man got out of a car, walked up behind her, and grabbed her backpack.

The victim resisted the robbery attempt, and the suspect used physical force while attempting to rip away the backpack. A second suspect, who was driving the car, tried to block the victim's path by driving up on the sidewalk. The student eventually escaped with her backpack and was not injured. The suspects fled the area by driving south on Church Street and through the Church Street pedestrian mall area.

An image of the car used by the suspects is attached to this story.

University of Minnesota Police are investigating this crime. Anyone with information is asked to call the University of Minnesota Police Department at 612-624-COPS (2677) and reference case number UM-16-135472.