HUPD Sends Community Advisory E-mail

A female graduate student was allegedly attacked with a metal pipe while walking in the Science Center Plaza at approximately 12:20 a.m. yesterday, according to a community advisory e-mail issued by the Harvard University Police Department. The attack was allegedly part of an attempted armed robbery.

According to the advisory, the student was leaving Harvard Yard through Thayer Gate, walking between Memorial Hall and Cambridge Street, when the perpetrator attempted to take her purse. The student was hit on the head with the metal pipe and sustained some minor injuries.

She evaded the alleged suspect by running away, and has since been treated at a local hospital, according to the advisory.

The alleged victim was unable to provide a description of her attacker.

The incident is under investigation, according to the HUPD spokesperson Steven G. Catalano.

All students, faculty, and staff of Harvard’s Cambridge campus and some at the Longwood campus received notification of the incident yesterday afternoon in the form of a community advisory e-mail issued by the HUPD, according to Catalano.

The e-mail is the first of its kind to be sent out this calendar year.

According to the HUPD website, “The HUPD disseminates community advisories and crime alerts after a serious or violent crime that may pose a continuing public safety threat is reported to the HUPD or local police departments.”

The department sends advisories directly to Harvard College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, as well as the deans of the schools, department public affairs officers, and the Director of News and Public Affairs for the University. They also ask representatives to post the advisories in conspicuous locations on campus in addition to electronically forwarding them widely to students, faculty and staff.

Prior to yesterday, the last advisory to be sent out was on September 22, 2008, which warned of a third incident in a series of thefts last September.

Since 2007, only nine such community advisories have been issued by the police department.

—Staff writer Emily J. Hogan can be reached at ejhogan@fas.harvard.edu.