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Winthrop students want increased security after reported campus robbery

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Students at Winthrop University are calling for more security after an armed robbery on campus.

Students signed a petition asking for an emergency phone box to be installed behind the Margaret Nance Residence Hall. That's the same area where a sex assault was reported last year.

“As concerned students,” the petition states, “we feel that there should be an emergency phone behind or in front of Margaret Nance to ensure the safety of Winthrop’s student body.”

The petition had 850 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.

Just last week, Channel 9's partners at The Herald reported that someone robbed a student in that area. The crime happened just after 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 29 as the victim was walking to her dorm room from the nearby Starbucks.

The suspect approached her from behind on a bicycle and demanded all her belongs, according to a campus police report.

The victim fought back and threw her wallet and cellphone under a nearby parked vehicle. The suspect then pulled out a handgun and dropped it on the ground, causing the magazine clip to fall out, which the victim managed to kick away.

According to the report, the suspect retrieved the gun, magazine clip and victim’s phone. He then got back on his bicycle and fled the scene.

Officials have released a sketch of the suspect and the university said it will meet to discuss the safety concerns.

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