NOPD, Tulane Police to increase patrols near campus after 6 people robbed overnight on Hillary Street

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A spate of recent armed robberies -- including the overnight holdups of six young people along Hillary Street in Uptown New Orleans -- has prompted the NOPD and Tulane University police to increase patrol activity near the college campus, authorities said Sunday (Jan. 15).

“In response to several instances of armed robberies around our Uptown campus in the past two weeks, Tulane University Police Department and the New Orleans Police Department have increased patrol activity in and around the Broadway (Street) corridor that borders campus,” Tulane Police said in a statement. “We are working actively to investigate the most recent incidents, which appear to be perpetrated by the same individuals, and apprehend the suspects while also taking a proactive measures to prevent future incidents.”

The NOPD said two groups of college-age victims were robbed at gunpoint early Sunday in the span of 19 minutes along Hillary Street, between Zimple and Oak streets, not far from the popular Snake and Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge.

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The six victims told police both robberies were perpetrated by a group of three or four Black males who jumped out of a black or dark-colored sedan and pointed guns, demanding cash, wallets and cellphones. In each instance, the victims complied and the suspects fled with their belongings in the dark car.

The NOPD said Sunday’s first victims were a group of three men -- ages 20 and 21 -- who were robbed by the suspects at 12:58 a.m. near the corner of Hillary and Zimple streets. The second victims, robbed at 1:17 a.m. in the same 1100 block of Hillary Street, were three 20-year-old women. It was unclear how many of the victims are enrolled at Tulane.

The TUPD said, “We encourage all community members to take advantage of our safety services, which include free shuttle service for off-campus and between-campus travel,” and “24/7 TUPD escort service for any student, faculty or staff member on campus and in the immediate areas off-campus.”

Anyone with information on the armed robberies is asked to contact the NOPD Second District at (504) 658-6020, Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111 or Tulane Police at (504) 865-5911.

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