A Loyola student witnessed an off-campus carjacking on Nov. 2, according to a campus e-mail from University Police.
The student’s sister, who was driving the student’s vehicle, stopped at the intersection of Freret Street and Jefferson Avenue to drop off the student’s friend, the e-mail said.
As the student was walking her friend home, a black man got into the passenger side of the car and said, “Get out of the car before I blow your head off,” while pointing a gun at her head.
University police said the victim got out of the car and the suspect drove off.
Univeristy Police Chief Patrick Bailey refused to give further information to The Maroon.
Violent crime has hit several Loyola students in recent weeks. According to other B.O.L.O. e-mails, five students were robbed at gunpoint in two separate incidents during one night.
A police report said that an unknown person stole a student’s wallet out of a room on the second floor Bobet Hall.
Another report said that a student’s bicycle had been stolen from the racks outside of Monroe Hall, just one of many bike thefts that take place on campus throughout the year.
Chief Bailey said that, in order to avoid potentially dangerous criminal situations, students must stay alert.
“You have to learn to think like a criminal,” he said. “You have to learn from others who have been victims of crime to avoid crime.”
Bailey said that the most effective way to avoid being a carjacking victim is to keep the doors and windows of the car locked at all times.
“Look around. If something doesn’t look right, keep going,” Bailey said.
Violent crimes cannot always be avoided, particularly off campus, the e-mail says.
It says that since Aug. 1, there have been four armed robberies and one carjacking involving Loyola students in the Uptown area.
In the e-mail, Bailey also said that all off-campus crimes are out of UP’s jurisdiction.
He said UP meets with a New Orleans Police Department task force once a week to discuss cases involving Loyola students.
Bailey also noted that the campus police department is available to help students through the process of reporting an off-campus crime.
