Johns Hopkins University has issued a warning to students and staff that they’re amping up security around its Baltimore, Maryland, campuses after seeing an uptick in “disturbing” and “serious” violent crime incidents.
In an Oct. 29 letter to the university’s community, vice president for public safety Branville G. Bard said that the uptick was notable over the past several months as he detailed two out of six armed robberies—two of which were abductions or abduction attempts—that occurred in the month of October alone.
Bard said that one of those “brazen and disturbing incidents” happened late on Oct. 24 and involved a Johns Hopkins community member who was walking within the Homewood campus area when “three assailants armed with handguns” forced the member into their vehicle and drove to “multiple ATMs,” demanding the affiliate “to make cash withdrawals” before releasing the victim….