University of Houston Clear Lake PD issue robbery warning to students

The victims are international students and the crimes are being committed at night in parking lots and common areas

CLEAR LAKE, Texas – The University of Houston Clear Lake Police Department has put out a warning to students about some recent robberies that happened at two off campus apartment complexes.

The victims are international students and the crimes are being committed at night in parking lots and common areas. The part of town where the robberies were reported is Bay Area Boulevard near Gemini and Cyberonics Street.

"It made us a little scared," said Siresha Karaman, an international student who moved to the United States just one month ago from India.

Karaman and her friend are computer science majors and said they are no longer going to walk to class.
 
"We used to go by walk," said Karaman. "But after this, we are going to go by shuttle service."
 
Douglas Carr lives in the area and said he heard about the robberies from one of the victims. He said the suspects would hide and wait for the opportunity to strike. 
 
"The people would come out and then there would be guys that would practically jump them," Carr said. "If it was a female they would just grab their purse and take off."
 
Police told Local 2 the suspects are armed with guns and knives. 
They are warning students to be extra careful and telling them to walk in groups, don't hang out in parking lots, stay away from poorly lit areas and be aware of their surroundings. 
 
UHCL Police said in a statement that there has also been an uptick in Clear Lake armed robberies at apartment complexes along El Dorado (near Highway 3) and El Camino.