Strong-arm robbery prompts fourth neighborhood safety notice in less than three weeks

Mary Kidwell, Owen Milnes, Sarah Szilagy
Fri, 05 Mar 2021 17:18:28 +0000
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A strong-arm robbery of an Ohio State student and his friend behind the campus-area McDonald’s early Friday morning prompted a neighborhood safety notice. Credit: Sam Raudins | Editor-in-Chief

A strong-arm robbery of an Ohio State student and his friend behind the campus-area McDonald’s early Friday morning prompted a neighborhood safety notice.

According to the notice, the student and his friend were walking behind the McDonald’s — located at 1972 N. High Street — at about 2:46 a.m. when an unknown suspect knocked the student down and stole his property. University Police spokesperson Dan Hedman said the suspect did not have a weapon, which is why the incident was classified as “strong-arm”.

The student was transported to a nearby hospital for injuries, the notice states. His current condition is not known.

Ohio State’s neighborhood McDonald’s is no stranger to crime.?

A Sept. 2019 Lantern analysis showed Columbus Police received 992 calls in five years at the restaurant, which was more than three times the number of calls other nearby 24/7 food selling businesses received. The calls consisted of minor disturbances, trespassing, thefts, 14 assaults and two robberies.?

This is the fourth neighborhood safety notice issued by Columbus Police since Feb. 17 — and the seventh since Jan. 15 — when a female Ohio State student was assaulted off-campus, along East 13th Avenue.

Buckeye Donuts, another 24/7 restaurant near the McDonald’s, was robbed at gunpoint Feb. 26, prompting a neighborhood safety notice.

Two off-campus robberies near East 16th and Indianola avenues prompted a third neighborhood safety notice Monday.?

Suspect details are limited, but anyone with information regarding the incident should call the Columbus Police at 614-645-4545, the notice states.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.