Two UC Davis students were studying for finals in the Avalon Apartments community room when sophomore Jason Chun was held at gunpoint.
The suspect knocked on the door of the room at 10:15 p.m. on Mar. 13. When one of the students opened the door, the suspect pulled out a handgun and forced the victim to surrender their laptops. The perpetrator stole two laptops, an iPhone and a calculator.
The suspect then made a getaway in a black SUV driven by an accomplice. The students were unable to identify the license plate on the car, but the security cameras captured a picture of the suspect.
The suspect has been described as a white male about 25-30 years old, 5’11” to 6′ tall, with short hair and a skinny build.
Davis Police Department Lieutenant Tom Waltz said there have been no new leads on the crime thus far.
“Davis has crime like any other city,” Waltz said. “The fact that the students were in the rec room when this happened is different, since most robberies in Davis are either street or business robberies.”
Avalon Apartments Manager Jacqueline Mestaz said Avalon, with the help of the Davis Police Department, will host a crime prevention workshop on Apr. 1.
“This is a reminder that crime does occur in Davis; we are pleased no one was hurt, that the Davis police responded so promptly and that we had surveillance cameras,” Mestaz said. “Again, it is easy to forget that crime does occur in Davis and we all need to actively deter it.”
According to data provided by the Davis Police Department for the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Davis had 50 robberies, 410 burglaries and 1,282 larcenies between October 2008 and September 2009.
Senior sociology and communications double major Roxy Rabbie, an Avalon resident since September, said she feels safe living at the complex.
“Those things happen only once in a lifetime; it’s not like they’re going to hit the same place twice,” Rabbie said. “I know most apartment complexes have patrol units that go by every so often, but Avalon doesn’t, which is nice on one hand because it means our guests don’t need a permit to park, but maybe that’s one thing they can do to make it safer.”
Rabbie said she plans to attend the crime prevention workshop.
“I think it’s a good idea, and I think it would be good for everyone,” said Rabbie.
Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Davis Police Department Investigations Division at 747-5430.
JANE TEIXEIRA can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
