A University of Wisconsin student was robbed outside of her Langdon Street residence late Thursday night when a stranger stripped her of her purse in a struggle.
Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain said the woman was walking home from a bar alone when she noticed a man had been following her, making her nervous. As the woman neared her residence, the suspect continued to pursue her.
As the woman began unlocking her front door, the man ran up behind her and grabbed her purse, the incident report said. The two struggled for control, but not for long. The suspect ended the woman’s resistance by spraying her face with a substance believed to be mace.
“There’s some question as to whether it was pepper spray or not,” DeSpain said. “She did have a burning sensation on her cheek but her eyes were not red. She was definitely sprayed with something though.”
After the suspect sprayed the woman, he fled with her purse to a nearby car and drove away, DeSpain said. Officers arrived on the scene shortly after, reporting she was visibly shaken.
“I find [the crime] aggravating because people should be able to move around downtown safely without these things happening,” DeSpain said. “We have a zero tolerance for that type of behavior.”
In terms of safety precautions, DeSpain said the victim was employing the right tactics. He said this case shows the unfortunate downside that you can do all the right things yet still be victimized.
UW spokesperson John Lucas said one of the most important safety tactics the woman took was to not resist someone who is trying to rob you. He said it is better to give up a wallet or purse than to have a worse situation develop.
One important safety measure students should take to prevent crime is to be aware of your surroundings by not talking on a phone or listening to an iPod, DeSpain said.
An officer was near John Nolen Drive later and found a purse in the street matching the description of the one stolen, although he said he could not confirm it is the same purse.
An unrelated incident also occurred Wednesday night when a man approached a UW student and her visiting friend near West Towne Mall. The two were waiting at a bus stop on Mineral Point Road when an unfamiliar car rolled by slowly and turned into the Memorial High School parking lot across the street, the incident report said.
The suspect exited the vehicle and yelled for the women to come to him. Having never seen the man before, the girls did not move. The suspect ran across the street and chased the women as they ran toward the mall and called 911. The suspect followed briefly but turned back.
“I think [the two women] did exactly the right thing to protect themselves, run to an area where you know there are other people and call 911 immediately,” DeSpain said.
